Improvement of the Kink-free Operation in Ridge-waveguide Laser Diodes Due to Coupling of the Optical Field to the Metal Layers Outside the Ridge

The kink-free output power in 980-nm emitting laser diodes can be increased by 30%-50% in ridge-waveguide devices when the thickness of the oxide is decreased such that the optical field is allowed to interact with the lossy Ti-PtAu metallization outsid