Multiphysics analysis of chip and resonator designs for increased damage threshold of external cavity high-power laser diodes.

We present a detailed analysis of multiphysics simulation results to evaluate the threshold for catastrophic optical damage (COD) of high-power laser diodes under misaligned external optical feedback. Three different chip designs are investigated: the non-injecting mirror concept, the non-absorbing mirror concept and the introduction of an additional energy barrier within the waveguide near the front facet. Furthermore, a modification of the external resonator that promises a lower sensitivity towards misalignments is considered. The dependence of the COD threshold on the additional design parameters (bandgap change, modification length, focal length) and the impact of the different approaches on electro-optical efficiency as well as beam quality are analyzed. Compared to the initial design, the different chip design concepts promise an increase of the achievable output power by 8%, 27% and 27% respectively, whereas the modified resonator fully prevents feedback-induced failure.

Dynamic correction of optical aberrations for height-independent selective laser induced etching processing strategies.

Optical aberrations are a critical issue for tight focusing and high precision manufacturing with ultrashort pulsed laser radiation in transparent media. Controlling the wave front of ultrashort laser pulses enable the correction of low order phase front distortion and significantly enhances the simplification of laser-based manufacturing of 3D-parts in glass. The influence of system-inherent, dominating aberrations such as spherical and astigmatic aberrations affect the focal area, the beam caustic and therefore the focus intensity distribution. We correct these aberrations by means of a spatial light modulator (SLM) for various processing depths in glass thickness of up to 12 mm. This flexible aberration correction significantly simplifies the process control and scanning strategies for the selective laser induced etching process. The influence on the selectivity is investigated by comparing the three different focus conditions of the intrinsic microscope objective aberration corrected, the aberrated and the SLM aberration corrected beam profile. The previously necessary pulse energy adjustment for different z positions in the glass volume is compensated via SLM aberration correction in the end. Furthermore, the spatial extend of the modified and etched area is investigated. In consequence, a simplified scan strategy and depth-independent processing parameters can be achieved for the selective laser induced etching process.