Modeling electro-optical characteristics of broad area semiconductor lasers based on a quasi-stationary multimode analysis

To increase the brightness of broad area laser diodes, it is necessary to tailor the optical properties of their waveguide region. For this purpose, there is the need for simulation tools which can predict the optical properties of the complete device and thus of the outcoupled light. In the present publication, we show a numerical method to calculate typical intensity distributions of the multimode beam inside a high-power semiconductor laser. The model considers effects of mode competition and the influence of the gain medium on the optical field. Simulation results show a good agreement with near and far field measurements of the analyzed broad area laser diodes.