EMITTER FAILURE AND THERMAL FACET LOAD IN HIGH-POWER LASER-DIODE ARRAYS

We report on micro-Raman facet temperature measurements carried out in asymmetrically coated high-power laser diode arrays. Facet temperatur es of up to 600 degrees C are reproducibly found for high-power operat ion. The data are modeled using an approach based on the finite elemen t method. Thus we are able to infer the power management of the device from the facet temperature data. Up to 7% of the total heat power is concentrated at the front facet. Furthermore, we determine the thermal load at the front facet versus the operation current, which is a key parameter for modeling high-power devices.