High-brightness tapered laser sources in the 1.3- to 2.0-μm wavelength range

Recent progress in tapered high-brightness lasers emitting in the near infrared region from 1.3 to 2.0 micrometers is reviewed. Improved power and beam quality are obtained for tapered lasers operating near 1.55 micrometers using Gaussian distributed lateral carrier injection profiles. Results for high-brightness 9-element arrays of tapered lasers emitting near 2.0 micrometers are included. Also included is a discussion of the use of mass-transported microlenses for collimating the output of the astigmatic tapered devices and coupling them into optical fibers.