Demir, AbdullahEbadi, KavehLiu, Y.Sünnetçioğlu, Ali KaanGündoğdu, SinanŞengül, SerdarZhao, Y.Lan, Y.Yang, G.Zediker, Mark S.Zucker, Erik P.2024-03-082024-03-082023-03-14978-151065911-70277-786Xhttps://hdl.handle.net/11693/114403Conference name: High-Power Diode Laser Technology XXI 2023Date of Conference: 29 January 2023 - 30 January 2023Catastrophic optical mirror damage (COMD) limits the output power and reliability of laser diodes (LDs). The self-heating of the laser contributes to the facet temperature, but it has not been addressed so far. This study investigates a two-section waveguide method targeting significantly reduced facet temperatures. The LD waveguide is divided into two electrically isolated sections along the cavity: laser and passive waveguide. The laser section is pumped at high current levels to achieve laser output. The passive waveguide is biased at low injection currents to obtain a transparent waveguide with negligible heat generation. This design limits the thermal impact of the laser section on the facet, and a transparent waveguide allows lossless transport of the laser to the output facet. Fabricated GaAs-based LDs have waveguide dimensions of (5-mm) x (100-µm) with passive waveguide section lengths varied from 250 to 1500 µm. The lasers were operated continuous-wave up to the maximum achievable power of around 15 W. We demonstrated that the two-section waveguide method effectively separates the heat load of the laser from the facet and results in much lower facet temperatures (Tf). For instance, at 8 A of laser current, the standard laser has Tf = 90 oC, and a two-section laser with a 1500 µm long passive waveguide section has Tf = 60 oC. While traditional LDs show COMD failures, the multi-section waveguide LDs are COMD-free. Our technique and results provide a pathway for high-reliability LDs, which would find diverse applications in semiconductor lasers. © 2023 SPIE.en-USCC BY 4.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Semiconductor laserLaser diodeHigh powerReliabilityCatastrophic optical damageConference Paper1996-756X