Low operating current and high-temperature operation of 650-nm AlGaInP high-power laser diodes with real refractive index guided self-aligned structure

Low operating current and high-temperature operation has been demonstrated in 650-nm AlGaInP high-power laser diodes with real refractive index guided self-aligned (RISA) structure. The RISA structure features an Al/sub 0.5/In/sub 0.5/P current blocking layer, which leads to small internal loss in the waveguide and substantially reduced operating carrier density. The resultant operating current for 50-mW continuous-wave at 70/spl deg/C is as low as 98 mA, which is almost a half of the lowest value ever reported.