Radiation resistance of single-frequency 1310-nm AlGaInAs-InP grating-outcoupled surface-emitting lasers

The results of two irradiation tests on 14 single-frequency 1310-nm grating-outcoupled surface-emitting semiconductor lasers that have been exposed to ionizing radiation using 200-MeV/c proton beams are reported. Twelve powered lasers survived a total radiation dose of up to 22.3 Mrad. One of the two not-powered lasers survived a total dose of 1.5 Mrad. The other failed after an integrated dose of 22.3 Mrad, suggesting that annealing may play an important role in laser performance during irradiation. The static and dynamic characteristics of the lasers after irradiation indicate the suitability of these lasers for medical, space, and accelerator-based nuclear and particle physics applications.