Simulation of high brightness tapered lasers

Abstract

Tapered semiconductor lasers have demonstrated both high power and good beam quality, and are of primary interest for those applications demanding high brightness optical sources. The complex non-linear interaction between the optical field and the active material requires accurate numerical simulations to improve the device design and to understand the underlying physics. In this work we present results on the design and simulation of tapered lasers by means of a Quasi- 3D steady-state single-frequency model. The results are compared with experiments on Al-free active region devices emitting at 1060 nm. The performance of devices based on symmetric and asymmetric epitaxial designs is compared and the influence of the design on the beam properties is analyzed. The role of thermal effects on the beam properties is experimentally characterized and analyzed by means of the numerical simulations. Tapered lasers with separate electrical contacts in the straight and tapered sections, based on symmetrical and asymmetrical epitaxial designs are also presented and analyzed