High-brightness 9xx and 14xx single-mode emitter array laser bars

In this communication we report on the successful realization of Single-mode Emitter Array Laser (SEAL) bars. Various laser bars with a cavity length of 2.4 mm containing between 25 to 350 narrow stripe lateral single-mode emitters have been realized and mounted epi-side down onto expansion matched heatsinks using a stable AuSn-solder technology. Optical power in excess of 1 W per emitter has been obtained resulting in more than 200 W total output power for the highest emitter density. While these total power levels are comparable to conventional broad-area laser bars (BALB), the brightness of each of the emitters is drastically improved over the BALB approach making theses bars ideal candidates for beam-shaping concepts. Lateral farfield measurements with smooth gaussian patterns, high electro-optical conversion efficiency well above 60% and threshold currents as low as 0.5 A are presented. Similar devices realized from the InGaAsP/InP material system deliver in excess of 20 W from 100 NS emitters at wavelengths around 1480 nm.