Catastrophic Optical Damage in Quantum Dot Lasers

Abstract

A review of the high power performance of quantum dot (QD) lasers and one of its failure modes by catastrophic optical damage (COD) is presented. Since the first lasing action reported in 1994, a rapid advancement in the output power of QD lasers has been achieved. QD lasers with excellent optical power from a few mW to more than 11 W have been reported. As the QD laser output power continues to reach higher levels, problems such as COD which causes sudden failure of the laser inevitably become a problem that requires an immediate solution. Over the years, COD failure has been widely reported in QD lasers with emission wavelengths varying from 0.9 to 1.3 μm. In this chapter, factors contributing to the COD failure in high power QD lasers are discussed and existing methods to suppress the COD are assessed. Finally, a novel laser annealing technique with in situ monitoring and control capabilities for the formation of non-absorbing mirrors in QD laser is described.