Facet temperature reduction by a current blocking layer at the front facets of high-power InGaAs/AlGaAs lasers

The facet heating of a single-quantum well InGaAs/AlGaAs broad-area high-power laser-diodes emitting at 940 nm was reduced by the introduction of a 30 mum long current blocking region located at the front facet of the laser, also increasing the level of catastrophical optical mirror damage. The blocking of the pump current close to the facet reduces the carrier density and then the surface recombination current. The temperature rise of 2 mm long and 200 Am wide lasers is reduced by a factor of 3-4. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.1531839].