Effect of Temperature Change on the Performance of Laser Diode at 450 nm for Submarine Optical Communications

Optical communications usually require precise temperature control systems as junction temperature may dramatically influence the emission parameters of a laser diode. Recently, challenging optical applications, such as micro-satellite or underwater monitoring, need for small and low power solutions making it difficult to use complex temperature control systems. Accordingly, in this paper we explored the use of a small and passive copper heat sink to control the temperature and stabilize the transmission of GaN laser diode emitting around 450 nm. The results of a reliable thermal characterization for the various operating conditions showed the effectiveness of this simple solution.