Compact high‐current diode laser nanosecond‐pulse source with high efficiency and 13 µJ output energy

Abstract

A compact gain-switched nanosecond diode laser pulse source at 920 nm with an output energy of 13 µJ is presented. The developed nanosecond electronic driver is based on GaN transistors and controlled by transistor-transistor logic compatible input pulses. A peak current of more than 430 A for 20-50 ns-long pulses with a repetition rate up to 100 kHz and an electrical efficiency of more than 50% is reached. About 50 ns optical pulses with a peak power of 250 W (13 µJ) are generated with a tapered ridge waveguide bar with 29 emitters. The rise and fall time of the pulses is about 13 ns.

Novel 900 nm diode lasers with epitaxially stacked multiple active regions and tunnel junctions

“…Scanning LiDAR systems for autonomous driving require 100 ps – 10 ns long optical pulses with peak powers of more than 100 W. Such pulses can ideally be generated by gain‐switched diode lasers where the electrical current injected into the cavity is turned on and off. However, the generation of correspondingly short electrical pulses with high current amplitudes is challenging even with tailored electronic drivers using GaN transistors in the final stage [1]. Such drivers enabled the generation of 4 to 20 ns long pulses with an optical peak power in excess of 600 W at a current of 900 A [2].…”

Wavelength‐Stabilized High‐Pulse‐Power Laser Diodes for Automotive LiDAR

“…Wang et al reported pulse powers of about 120 W from 200 µm, 100 W from 100 μm, and 90 W from 60 μm stripe‐width lasers at an injection current of 240 Å (pulse width 300 ns) using a commercial current source (PicoLAS LDP‐V240‐100). Hoffmann et al generated current pulses by a compact electronic driver based on GaN transistors and obtained 250 W at an injection current of 430 Å (stripe width 400 μm, pulse width 50 ns). The company OSRAM reported the generation of 5 ns long pulses with its nanostack lasers (comprising three vertically monolithic integrated lasers).…”

Picosecond and high-power UV/Vis light pulsing using gallium nitride field-effect transistors: implementation and design evaluation

“…In both configurations, fast switching speeds with high-current capabilities are required. Here, the commercial availability of novel Gallium-Nitride field-effect transistor (GaN FET) technology [33] has opened a whole new range of possibilities in the field of fast, high-power light pulsing [34][35][36]. They are most commonly used in commercial ranging and time-of-flight applications in infrared wavelengths [28].…”