Aperture shape effect on the performance of very small aperture lasers

We report on the effect of different aperture shapes on the power output of a very small aperture laser (VSAL) fabricated from commercial edge-emitting laser diodes and correlate the results to the layer structure and polarization of the optical field. A waveguide theory is used to explain the experimental observations. We show that the shape of the aperture has a significant effect on the VSAL output power. In particular shapes exploiting the asymmetry of the laser can achieve much higher throughput over square apertures while keeping the aperture area constant. This work also indicates the validity of analyzing near-field small apertures as cutoff waveguide structures. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.