Monolithic two-dimensional surface-emitting arrays of GaAs/AlGaAs diode lasers

Abstract

Monolithic two-dimensional arrays with light emission normal to the surface have been obtained by fabricating edge-emitting quantum well GaAs/AlGaAs lasers with deflecting mirrors adjacent to both laser facets. The facets and mirrors were formed by ion beam assisted etching. Proton bombardment between adjoining lasers was used to prevent lasing in the transverse direction. At the highest pulsed current used in these experiments, 10.5 A, the power output of a 22-element array was 1.6 W, which corresponds to a power density of 160 W cm−2. At this level, the power output was still linear with current.