• 20-W CW power barrier surpassed for 975-nm diode-laser chip

    Researchers at Alfalight (Madison, WI) have demonstrated 22 W of continuous-wave (CW) power from a single (100-µm)-stripe 975-nm-emitting diode-laser chip at a 25ºC heat-sink temperature.
    Jan. 1, 2006

    Researchers at Alfalight (Madison, WI) have demonstrated 22 W of continuous-wave (CW) power from a single (100-µm)-stripe 975-nm-emitting diode-laser chip at a 25ºC heat-sink temperature. This result demonstrated 47% higher power than the previously reported best for any multimode diode-laser pump in the wavelength range of 900 to 1000 nm. The electrical-to-optical power-conversion efficiency (PCE) and the characteristic temperature, T1, which governs the temperature sensitivity of external differential quantum efficiency, limit the highest achievable power.

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    The Alfalight researchers have significantly improved both the PCE as well as the T1 to hit this record-high CW power. The 22-W power was achieved with a 3-mm-long chip that was bonded p-side down on a copper heatsink with indium solder. At this power level, the devices thermally “rollover” (saturate) and do not suffer from catastrophic optical-mirror damage. Peak PCE was measured to be 68%. Contact Manoj Kanskar at [email protected].

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