Single frequency 1550-nm AlGaInAs-InP tapered high-power laser with a distributed Bragg reflector

A strained-layer multiple-quantum-well tapered laser with single-frequency operation near 1550 nm and with 20-dB sidemode suppression, for continuous-wave power levels up to 0.6 W is reported. At a power level of 0.5 W, 80% of the power from this device remains in the central lobe of the far-field. Increased lateral mode stabilization was observed in devices having both a Gaussian-patterned contact and a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) compared to those without a DBR. An increase by a factor of five in the power level obtainable, with at least 80% of that power in the central lobe of the far-field pattern, was obtained using the DBR reflector.