Welcome to the HPDLRG

This site provides an overview of our current research and aims. Our group focuses on the fabrication of the highest-power, highest-efficiency, and highest-brightness semiconductor lasers possible.

Our research combines carefully designed experiments with simulation and modeling to understand the fundamental physical limits of diode laser performance and translate those insights into novel device designs.

HPDLRG Capabilities

Design, Simulation, and Analysis

• Epitaxial design and physical simulation (LaserMOD)
• Chip design and optical simulation (LaserMOD, BeamPROP, Lumerical)
• Phenomenological performance modeling and analysis (proprietary)
• Lifetest design and data analysis (ReliaSoft, JMP)
• Optical beamshaping and fiber coupling design (Zemax, CodeV)
• Mechanical packaging design (SolidWorks, AutoCAD)
• Internal and external feedback cavity design
• Incoherent, wavelength, and coherent beam combining

Fabrication

• Photomask layout and process development
• MBE and MOCVD based epitaxial growth of (GaN, GaAs, InP, and GaSb)
• Photolithography (contact mask, stepper, and direct write-to-wafer)
• Electron beam lithography
• RIE and ICP-RIE dry etch
• PECVD Dielectric deposition (SiO2, SiNx)
• Metal evaporation/sputtering (Ti, Pt, Au, AuGe, Ni)
• Electroplating (Au)
• Wafer lap & polish
• Scribe & cleave/break
• Facet passivation and AR/PR/HR coating
• Junction-up and junction-down die attach (AuSn, In solder)
• Wire bond
• Active optical alignment and microoptic UV epoxy attach
• Hermetic sealing

Test and characterization

• NIST-traceable calibrated average power/efficiency
• Time-resolved pulsed power / energy (<1ns to ms, single shot to MHz)
• Near-field and far-field beam profiling (incl. polarization-resolved)
• High resolution optical spectrum analysis (incl. spatially resolved)
• Lateral and longitudinal gain distribution mapping
• ISO M2 beam propagation factor
• High speed modulation response (small-signal, large signal, eye diagrams, BERT)
• Laser relative intensity noise, amplifier noise figure
• Laser linewidth
• High resolution 2D/3D temperature mapping (thermoreflectance)
• Other custom high sensitivity advanced characterization techniques
• Inspection - SEM, TEM, FIB, SIMs
• Reliability lifetesting
• Environmental testing - Humidity, temperature cycle, shock, vibration

We investigate a wide range of architectures, including edge-emitting and distributed-feedback lasers, vertical-cavity and photonic-crystal surface-emitting lasers, semiconductor optical amplifiers, and other light-emitting semiconductor devices.