Sharp Corp. has developed a new high-power red laser diode. The GH06570A2C delivers 100mW (pulse) of power, the highest in the industry, and is ideal for use in the pick-up units of 4x-write DVD-R/RW drives. The product will be available in volume in May 2002.
As the use of DVD video players and PCs equipped with TV recording and editing functions becomes more widespread, the market for DVD-R/RW drives and DVD recorders is expanding rapidly. In addition, the need for capabilities such as high-speed recording of large-volume data including movies or for time shift viewing functions is driving demand for even higher write speeds in these DVD-R/RW drives.
Given this situation, it is apparent that the write speed of DVD-R/RW drives will be migrating in the future from the currently dominant 2x speed to 4x, and this, in turn, will require that the laser output of the red laser diodes used in the optical pick-ups of these units be at a power level capable of supporting these faster write speeds.
Anticipating this trend, Sharp has developed a red (peak emission wavelength: 656nm typ.) high-power laser diode with an optical output (pulse output) of 100mW, the highest level in the industry. Low-current/high-power operation was achieved by using a process to create a protective film on the end facet of the laser chip and by improvements in the active layer structure.
Because the emission wavelength can be set anywhere in the range from 652nm to 660nm, this device will be compatible with all write-type DVDs (DVD-R/+R/-RW/+RW/RAM) whose formats differ from one another.
For further information, visit www.sharp.co.jp.