Broad area InGaN laser diodes have gained importance as versatile high-power sources in the blue spectral range. Lateral multi-mode operation naturally occurs in a ridge waveguide that is more than 3-5 µm broad, while also the formation of longitudinal mode bunches is amplified by a large active region. We investigate a series of broad-ridge InGaN laser diodes with different cavity length and ridge width and characterize their spectral-lateral-temporal behavior. Lateral modes of different order show sequential onset dynamics and can be observed at different wavelengths. We characterize their interplay with longitudinal mode dynamics as well as the emerging lateral-longitudinal mode pattern depending on cavity length and ridge width.
In this study laser diodes with different InGaN quantum well thickness up to 25 nm are analyzed. For those devices efficient screening of the piezoelectric field and operation on excited states was reported. We observe the time-dependent behavior of the intensity and emission spectrum below threshod operation, which can give insights about the QW tilt and the wave function overlap. In particular we observe a strong rise in intensity and a wavelength shift at the trailing edge of the pulse. Furthermore, we investigate the laser operation of the different quantum well width diodes showing unusual spectral-temporal behavior especially for the wide QW devices.
Degradation of GaN-based laser diodes after some time of operation appears usually as raised threshold current, lower slope efficiency, or increased voltage. We investigate stressed and non-stressed laser diodes using micro-electroluminescence (μEL) and micro-photoluminescence (μPL). In μEL, the stressed device exhibits darker regions, which are correlated with a red-shifted emission. Both observations indicate a lower carrier density in these darker areas. Our μPL measurements do not suggest a corresponding increased defect density in these regions. This study shows inhomogeneous pumping of the active region that can be explained by current path formation from non-uniform hydrogen distribution. Additionally a background of increased nonradiative recombination is found in the stressed device, which is unrelated to the conductivity degradation.
KEYWORDS: Near field, Semiconductor lasers, Streak cameras, Visible radiation, Spectroscopy, Diodes, Spectral resolution, Near field optics, Broad area laser diodes
We investigate the lateral near field of blue laser diodes with 10 μm broad ridges in pulsed conditions. While scanning the near field step by step with the help of a streak camera, we observe complex dynamics due to lateral-longitudinal mode competition, wavelength shifts and lateral mode switching. Additionally, a high-resolution spectrometer enables us to differentiate between the different mode combs which form the longitudinal mode spectrum. We observe filling of the gain volume and a spectral broadening with increasing current, as well as a slight asymmetry and an inhomogeneous lateral mode pattern.
Blue InGaN/GaN broad-ridge laser diodes show rich lateral mode dynamics and filamentation effects in addition to the longitudinal mode dynamics that are known from narrow-ridge laser diodes. We find a complex spectral, spatial and temporal behavior caused by the interplay between lateral and longitudinal mode competition mechanisms. In the experiment we measure the spectral-temporal dynamics with a streak camera, and the lateral resolution is achieved by scanning through a magnified near-field image. Additional time-averaged measurements with a high-resolution spectrometer indicate the presence of multiple longitudinal mode combs and the lateral scans show that there are different lateral modes in each mode comb. But also in separate regions of the laser spectrum, lateral modes of different order can be found.
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