SDL announces nitride laser

On Friday the 13th, 1998, SDL, of San Jose, California announced their recent achievement of nitride-based diodes lasing in the blue-violet.

SDL's Dr. Richard Miles explained the result:

"We have a lot of lasers off 3 wafers now, with wavelengths between 395-408nm. Typical threshold current densities are 8.5-14 kA/cm². So far we've only attempted crude, gain guided devices. The structures are SCHs with 5 QWs, grown on sapphire. We are of course hoping to drop the thresholds a bit to get cw operation before long, but you should believe that only when it happens!"

Perhaps the most impressive part of the SDL results is the power they've achieved in pulsed mode, 150mW/facet. Although not CW, this power is in the same ballpark as Japan's Nichia, the world leader. SDL is perhaps best known for its high power GaAs based pump lasers, and is known to be targeting markets such as DVD by offering short-wavelength lasers.

 MIJ-NSR    News