Performance and reliability of high power 7xx nm laser diodes

High power diode lasers in 7xx-nm region, have been needed for various applications. Compared to 9xx nm lasers that have been developed extensively in the last 20 years, high power lasers at 7xx-nm region presents much more challenges for operation power, efficiency, temperature performance and reliability. This paper will present recent progresses on 7xx nm laser diodes for the above attributes. Two laser designs will be reviewed and high power diode laser performance and reliability will be presented. Single emitter devices, with 200m wide emitting width, show up to 10W reliable operation power, with peak efficiency more than 65%. Accelerated life testing at 12A, 50°C heatsink temperature has been running for thousands of hours. High temperature performance and high COMD threshold (> 20W) will also be shown. Life-test failure modes will also be discussed. In summary, with advanced epitaxial structure design and MOCVD process, critical facet passivation and advanced heatsink and bonding technology, 7xx-8xx nm devices have been demonstrated with high performance and reliability similar to those of 9xx nm devices.