To create holographic or volumetric displays, it is highly desirable to move from conventional imaging projection displays, where the light is filtered from a constant source towards flying spot, where the correct amount of light is generated for every pixel. The only light sources available for such an approach, which requires visible, high output power with a spatial resolution beyond conventional lamps, are lasers. When adding the market demands for high electro-optical conversion efficiency, direct electrical modulation capability, compactness, reliability and massproduction compliance, this leaves only semiconductor diode lasers. We present red-emitting tapered diode lasers (TPL) emitting a powerful, visible, nearly diffraction limited beam (M²1/e² < 1.5) and a single longitudinal mode, which are well suited for 3d holographic and volumetric imaging. The TPLs achieved an optical output power in excess of 500 mW in the wavelength range between 633 nm and 638 nm. The simultaneous inclusion of a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) surface grating provides wavelength selectivity and hence a spectral purity with a width Δλ < 5 pm. These properties allow dense spectral multiplexing to achieve output powers of several watts, which would be required for 3d volumetric display applications.

Date Published: 1 March 2013
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 8643, Advances in Display Technologies III, 864307 (1 March 2013); doi: 10.1117/12.2002468

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8643:
Advances in Display Technologies III
Liang-Chy Chien; Sin-Doo Lee; Ming Hsien Wu, Editor(s)