Broad-area semiconductor laser with improved beam quality19149945

Abstract

The present invention relates to a semiconductor laser having improved beam quality and in particular a semiconductor-based high-performance laser bar having reduced thermal lensing and reduced lateral far-field divergence by means of an inhomogeneous sub-contact structure in a contact region. A claimed contact region of a single broad-area laser emitter comprises a semiconductor contact layer (12) of an epitaxial layer of the broad-area laser emitter, a metal contact layer (10) for making planar surface contact with the semiconductor contact layer (12), wherein a structured region (14) comprising individual sub-contacts (16) is formed under the metal contact layer (10) in the semiconductor contact layer (12) for spatially splitting an operating current which can be supplied over the metal contact layer (10), wherein the width wsub and/or spacing asub of the individual sub-contacts (16) of the structured region (14) varies in a lateral direction of the broad-area laser emitter.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.