High-power 1550 nm tapered DBR laser diodes for LIDAR applications

Pulsed operation characteristics of a high-power 1550 nm tapered distributed Bragg Reflector (DBR) laser diode are described. The development targets applications such as LIDAR and range finding, which require eye-safe, coherent light sources with a high peak-power. In particular, we employ a regrowth-free technique and AlGaInAs/InP gain structure, and demonstrate a peak power of about 1.6 W (drive-current limited) and a CW power of 560 mW at room temperature.