High-power 200 mW 660 nm AlGaInP laser diodes with low operating current

We have newly introduced a two-step-growth structure and a ridge stripe with steep sidewalls formed with a dry-etching process in the fabrication of a buried ridge stripe structure of a high-power 660 nm laser diode instead of a conventional three-step-growth structure and a ridge stripe with gentle sidewalls formed with a conventional wet-etching process in order to reduce the operating current. We have found that the two-step-growth structure provides better heat dissipation and the dry-etched ridge stripe structure offers higher characteristic temperature. The operating current under pulsed 200 mW at 70°C of the fabricated laser diode is 270 mA. This is the lowest value ever reported so far, to our knowledge. These laser diodes exhibit a kink level and a maximum light output power of 220 mW and higher than 300 mW, respectively. These laser diodes have also operated stably for 1500 h at 70°C with a light output power of 200 mW under the pulsed condition.