980 nm diode laser for pumping Er/sup 3+/-doped fiber amplifiers

A high-power 980-nm diode laser, whose performance satisfies the requirements for pumping Er/sup 3+/-doped optical fiber amplifiers, is described. The device is grown by atmospheric pressure organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy and contains a strained, step-graded In/sub 0.25/Ga/sub 0.75/As/AlGaAs single-quantum-well active region. The threshold current of the ridge-waveguide laser is 8 mA, and a CW power output of 125 mW with a different quantum efficiency of 59% is demonstrated.<
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