0.98- mu m strained quantum well lasers for coupling high optical power into single-mode fiber

Abstract

An investigation of epitaxial-layer structures has yielded narrow ridge waveguide structure lasers capable of coupling high optical power into single-mode fiber (SMF). An optical power of well over 60 mW in SMF was obtained for a 2- mu m-wide ridge waveguide laser with a guided separate-confinement-heterostructure (SCH) epitaxial structure. Calculated results indicate that the stringent limit imposed on 0.98- mu m wavelength detuning is relaxed for such high optical power coupled into a SMF. The 0.98- mu m strained-quantum-well lasers thus show considerable promise as a practical low-noise pumping source for Er-doped optical-fiber amplifiers.