J.-P. Koester, H. Wenzel, M. Wilkens, A. Knigge

Published in:

Opt. Quant. Electron., vol. 55, no. 3, art. 285, doi:10.1007/s11082-022-04511-z (2023).

Abstract:

In this work, a simulation-based analysis of a CW-driven tapered ridge-waveguide laser design is presented. Measurements of these devices delivered high lateral brightness values of 4W · mm⁻¹mrad⁻¹ at 2.5W optical output power. First, active laser simulations are performed to reproduce these results. Next, the resulting complex valued intra-cavity refractive index distributions are the basis for a modal and beam propagation analysis, which demonstrates the working principle and limitation of the underlying lateral mode filter effect. Finally, the gained understanding is the foundation for further design improvements leading to lateral brightness values of up to 10W · mm⁻¹mrad⁻¹ predicted by simulations.

Keywords:

High-brightness laser, Diode laser, Ridge-waveguide laser, Tapered laser, Waveguide taper, Lateral mode filter

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