Semiconductor Laser Engineering, Reliability and Diagnostics (eBook)

Dr. Peter W. Epperlein is Technology Consultant with his own semiconductor technology consulting business Pwe-PhotonicsElectronics-IssueResolution in the UK. He looks back at a thirty years career in cutting edge photonics and electronics industries with focus on emerging technologies, both in global and start-up companies, including IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Agilent Technologies, Philips/NXP, Essient Photonics and IBM/JDSU Laser Enterprise. He holds Pre-Dipl. (B.Sc.), Dipl. Phys. (M.Sc.) and Dr. rer. nat. (Ph.D.) degrees in physics, magna cum laude, from the University of Stuttgart, Germany. Dr. Epperlein is an internationally recognized expert in compound semiconductor and diode laser technologies. He has accomplished R&D in many device areas such as semiconductor lasers, LEDs, optical modulators, quantum well devices, resonant tunneling devices, FETs, and superconducting tunnel junctions and integrated circuits. His pioneering work on sophisticated diagnostic research has led to many world's first reports and has been adopted by other researchers in academia and industry. He authored more than seventy peer-reviewed journal papers, published more than ten invention disclosures in the IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, has served as reviewer of numerous proposals for publication in technical journals, and has won five IBM Research Division Awards. His key achievements include the design and fabrication of high-power, highly reliable, single mode diode lasers.

Preface xix

About the author xxiii

PART 1 DIODE LASER ENGINEERING 1

Overview 1

1 Basic diode laser engineering principles 3

Introduction 4

1.1 Brief recapitulation 4

1.2 Optical output power - diverse aspects 31

1.3 Selected relevant basic diode laser characteristics 45

1.4 Laser fabrication technology 81

References 96

2 Design considerations for high-power single spatial mode operation 101

Introduction 102

2.1 Basic high-power design approaches 103

2.2 Single spatial mode and kink control 146

2.3 High-power, single spatial mode, narrow ridge waveguide lasers 162

2.4 Selected large-area laser concepts and techniques 176

References 201

PART 2 DIODE LASER RELIABILITY 211

Overview 211

3 Basic diode laser degradation modes 213

Introduction 213

3.1 Degradation and stability criteria of critical diode laser characteristics 214

3.2 Classification of degradation modes 222

3.3 Key laser robustness factors 234

References 241

4 Optical strength engineering 245

Introduction 245

4.1 Mirror facet properties - physical origins of failure 246

4.2 Mirror facet passivation and protection 249

4.3 Nonabsorbing mirror technologies 259

4.4 Further optical strength enhancement approaches 270

References 276

5 Basic reliability engineering concepts 281

Introduction 282

5.1 Descriptive reliability statistics 283

5.2 Failure distribution functions - statistical models for nonrepairable populations 288

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5.3 Reliability data plotting 298

5.4 Further reliability concepts 306

5.5 Accelerated reliability testing - physics-statistics models 310

5.6 System reliability calculations 320

References 323

6 Diode laser reliability engineering program 325

Introduction 325

6.1 Reliability test plan 326

6.2 Reliability growth program 349

6.3 Reliability benefits and costs 350

References 353

PART 3 DIODE LASER DIAGNOSTICS 355

Overview 355

7 Novel diagnostic laser data for active layer material integrity; impurity trapping effects; and mirror temperatures 361

Introduction 362

7.1 Optical integrity of laser wafer substrates 362

7.2 Integrity of laser active layers 366

7.3 Deep-level defects at interfaces of active regions 376

7.4 Micro-Raman spectroscopy for diode laser diagnostics 386

References 406

8 Novel diagnostic laser data for mirror facet disorder effects; mechanical stress effects; and facet coating instability 409

Introduction 410

8.1 Diode laser mirror facet studies by Raman 410

8.2 Local mechanical stress in ridge waveguide diode lasers 416

8.3 Diode laser mirror facet coating structural instability 424

References 430

9 Novel diagnostic data for diverse laser temperature effects; dynamic laser degradation effects; and mirror temperature maps 433

Introduction 434

9.1 Thermoreflectance microscopy for diode laser diagnostics 435

9.2 Thermoreflectance versus optical spectroscopies 442

9.3 Lowest detectable temperature rise 444

9.4 Diode laser mirror temperatures by micro-thermoreflectance 445

9.5 Diode laser mirror studies by micro-thermoreflectance 451

9.6 Diode laser cavity temperatures by micro-electroluminescence 456

9.7 Diode laser facet temperature - two-dimensional mapping 460

References 466

Index 469

"Dr. Epperlein's book is an essential read for anyone looking to develop semiconductor lasers for anything other than pure research use, and I give it my highest recommendation." (Senior Component Reliability Engineer, 1 May 2013)

"I can highly recommend this extremely relevant, well-structured and well-formulated book to all practising researchers in industrial and academic diode laser R&D environments and to post-graduate engineering students interested in the actual problems of designing, manufacturing, testing, characterising and qualifying diode lasers. Due to its completeness and novel approach to combine design, reliability and diagnostics in the same book, it can serve as an ideal reference book as well, and it deserves to be welcomed wordwide by the addressed audience." (Semiconductor Technologies Research, 1 May 2013)

"In my opinion, this book was a pleasure to read and due to its quality and relevance deserves a large audience in the power diode laser community!." (High Speed Electronics and Photonics, 16 June 2013)