Reliable 1-W CW operation of high-brightness tapered diode lasers at 735 nm

The long-term stability of high-brightness diode lasers at 735 nm was investigated. The diodes consist of an index-guided straight section and a gain-guided tapered section. A 1-W continuous-wave operation for 2-mm-long tapered lasers over 3200 h is reported. The experiments demonstrate high reliability with degradation rates below 3.2/spl times/10/sup -5/ h/sup -1/.