Monolithically integrated dual-wavelength self-sustained pulsating laser diodes with real refractive index guided self-aligned structure

Monolithically integrated 780-nm-band and 650-nm-band self-sustained pulsating (SSP) lasers, which are desirable for simplified optical pickups in digital versatile disk (DVD) systems, have been developed for the first time. The real refractive index guided self-aligned (RISA) waveguide structure is adapted to reduce absorption loss in the current blocking layers. In order to obtain stable SSP, a saturable absorber formed in the active layer outside the current stripe, and a saturable absorbing layer above the active layer are utilized for the 780-nm-band and 650-nm-band laser diodes (LDs), respectively. Relative intensity noise less than -130 dB/Hz is maintained at temperatures of up to 80 degreesC at an output power of 7 mW for the 650 nm band and 10 mW for the 780 nm band, which suggests that stable SSP operations have been realized.