Abstract

Multiple-stripe lasers are promising sources of high-power monochromatic cw optical energy. Lasers with ten stripes have been reported to produce in excess of 800 mW cw,¹ while the highest cw power attained to date was 2.6 W from a single facet.² These lasers have demonstrated their usefulness in pumping Nd:YAG lasers.^3,4 Higher-power laser diode arrays can be realized in principle merely by adding more stripes; however, as the width of the laser approaches and exceeds the cavity length, amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) competes for carriers and hinders lasing action.⁵ Evidently, lasers with more than ~0.4 mm of active width and ~0.25 mm of cavity length must incorporate structures to preclude ASE.

© 1986 Optical Society of America