Broad-Area Microlasers and Methods for Driving Them

A method for driving a multi-mode broad area micro-laser, the method comprising,

• driving said micro-laser with an electric driving current, said driving current selected as to obtain a reduced degree of spatial coherence in the far field plane transverse to said light beam from said multi-mode broad area micro-laser, whereby the light beam is not completely coherent over its transverse profile and no modal emission pattern occurs in the far field plane.

A method for tuning a light beam of a multi-mode broad area micro-laser, the method comprising

• driving during at least one first time period t1 the multi-mode broad area microlaser with an electric driving current selected as to obtain a reduced degree of spatial coherence in the far field plane transverse to said light beam from said multi-mode broad area micro-laser, whereby the light beam is not completely coherent over its transverse profile and no modal emission pattern occurs in the far field plane, in order to adjust a light output of said spatial only partial coherent light beam.

A multi-mode broad area micro-laser, comprising,

• a driver driving said micro-laser with an electric driving current selected as to obtain a reduced degree of spatial coherence in the far field plane transverse to said light beam from said multi-mode broad area micro-laser, whereby the light beam is not completely coherent over its transverse profile and no modal emission pattern occurs in the far field plane.

A driver for a multi-mode broad area micro-laser, comprising,

• means for driving said micro-laser with an electric driving current selected as to obtain a reduced degree of spatial coherence in the far field plane transverse to said light beam from said multi-mode broad area micro-laser, whereby the light beam is not completely coherent over its transverse profile and no modal emission pattern occurs in the far field plane.