Long-term 60 mW operation of 780 nm AlGaAs lasers with extended beam by additional low-Al-content layer in p-type cladding layer

The catastrophic optical damage level of a 780 nm AlGaAs laser diode is increased by extending the optical beam profile by using a low-Al-content layer in the cladding layer. A higher light output power can be obtained without increasing threshold current, and reliable operation for more than 1000 h at 60 mW output and 50 degrees C ambient is obtained.