Longitudinal carrier density measurement of high power broad area laser diodes

The longitudinal carrier density distribution of an InGaAlAs high-power broad-area semiconductor laser has been measured using spontaneous emission from the side of the device. The laser shows continuously increasing carrier densities on the facet with the high reflectivity coating (reverse facet). This has a major impact on the efficiency and the lifetime of the laser. This behavior is in good agreement with one-dimensional calculations for the longitudinal carrier distribution.