Abstract

Laser resonators which incorporate planar waveguide propagation are now perhaps the most common type, through their use in semiconductor diode lasers. Here, waveguiding is essential for good mode overlap with the sub-micron thickness of the gain region. However, the narrow guides in edge emitting diode lasers produce the well known problems of facet damage and large fast-axis beam divergence, whilst non-linear focusing effects limit the width scaling of power for broad junction diode laser. Only recently has the alternative of vertical cavity, surface emitting laser diodes started to change this picture.

© 1998 IEEE