Experimental and theoretical studies into longitudinal spatial hole burning as a power limit in high-power diode lasers at 975 nm

Spatial-hole-burning as a limit to the continuous-wave (CW) output power of GaAs-based diode lasers is experimentally studied. For 90 μm stripe lasers with 6 mm resonator length and 0.8% front facet reflectivity, spontaneous emission (SE) intensity data show that the carrier density in the device center rises rapidly at the rear facet with bias and falls at the front, consistent with simulation. At the front, the carrier density at the edge of the laser stripe also rises rapidly with bias (lateral carrier accumulation, LCA), consistent with previous observations of increased local current flow. Devices with 20% front facet reflectivity for a flat longitudinal optical field profile show smaller variation in the local carrier density. Weak variation is seen in the carrier density outside the stripe; hence, current spreading is not a power limit. SE wavelength data show higher temperatures at the front with a twofold higher increase in temperature for 0.8% than for 20% front facet. The increased front temperature likely triggers lateral spatial-hole-burning and LCA in this region, limiting power. Finally, pulsed threshold current is more strongly temperature dependent for devices with 0.8% than 20% front facets, attributed to the higher rear facet carrier density. The temperature dependence of slope in pulsed is comparable for both devices at low bias but is more rapid for 0.8% at 20 A, likely due to non-clamping at the back. The temperature dependence of slope for CW is strong with 0.8% facets, likely due to the high temperature and LCA at the front but reduced for 20% facets.