High-temperature operation of 650-nm wavelength AlGaInP self-pulsating laser diodes

Low-coherence self-pulsating laser diodes operating at a wavelength of 650 nm and at temperatures in excess of 70/spl deg/C are required for high density optical storage systems. We report on AlGaInP lasers operating at this wavelength which exhibit stable self-pulsation up to a temperature of 100/spl deg/C. The lasers are 50-μm-wide oxide-isolated stripe devices in which the saturable absorption necessary for pulsation is provided by multiple-quantum wells placed within the p-doped cladding layer. The pulsation frequency of the devices increases linearly with increasing drive current and is present up to 1.5 times, lasing threshold.