Losses of the unstable cavity in tapered laser diodes: estimation from numerical simulations

The excess of losses in tapered diode lasers due to the unstable cavity design is analyzed. These losses are estimated from simulations performed with a quasi-3D laser model in 975 nm index and gain guided tapered laser with different geometries. The results show taper losses ranging between 0.5 and 10 cm/sup -1/, a clear increase of the losses with the taper angle, and higher losses for gain guided than for index guided devices with identical dimensions.