Brightness Scaling of InP-Based Diode Lasers for Communication and Sensing Applications

High brightness semiconductor diode lasers can provide tremendous system-level advantages for many applications. Recent advancements in InP-based edge-emitting diode lasers operating in the 13xx – 17xx nm wavelength band could enable compact, direct diode solutions with performance metrics that previously have only been met by fiber lasers or solid-state laser systems. In this work, we report on tapered diode lasers that operate at 1550 nm with high efficiency and high brightness. These single emitter devices produce 5 W of continuous wave output power with 23% electrical-to-optical efficiency. The brightness is 187 MW cm^-2 sr^-1, and the slow axis linear brightness is 9.1 W mm^-1 mrad^-1. The percentage of power in the central lobe of the output beam is 87%, indicative of good beam quality. These results significantly impact applications such as communications and sensing.