Sumitomo Elec. Ind : Sumitomo Electric and Sony Announce the Joint-Development of the World’s First True Green Semiconductor Laser Diode with over 100 mW Output Power at 530 nm
06/21/2012| 02:15am US/Eastern
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Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. ("Sumitomo Electric") and
Sony Corporation ("Sony") have successfully developed the
world's first*1semiconductor laser diode with an
optical output power of over 100 mW in the true green region
at a wavelength of 530 nm. This laser diode can be mounted on
laser projectors and many other display devices. The new
laser diode features twice the luminosity
*2compared with conventional gallium nitride
(GaN) green laser diodes, and a color gamut broadened by 182%
based on the NTSC standard (CIE 1976 color
gamut)*3. As a result, these significantly
improve the performance of laser projectors and other display
devices to reproduce vibrant video and images.
Red and blue laser diodes have been commercially available
among the primary red-green-blue (RGB) colors, but there has
been greater need for high output green laser diodes towards
the development of high performance laser projectors and
display devices. Currently, green lasers are generated by
converting the wavelength of infrared laser light from a
light source using optical materials, but the light source is
large and expensive. In addition, conventional GaN-based
green lasers have difficulties achieving sufficient
luminosity as their performance is limited to an output power
of several tens of milliwatt at a wavelength of 520 nm or
less.
To overcome these challenges, Sumitomo Electric and Sony
collaborated in the development of a true green semiconductor
laser for practical use, drawing on Sumitomo Electric's
semi-polar GaN substrate, crystal growth, and wafer
processing technologies, as well as Sony's GaN-based laser
technology, acquired through the Blu-ray development. By
introducing new techniques and improving the entire
semiconductor laser production process, including structural
design, crystal growth, wafer processing, and electrode
configuration, Sumitomo Electric and Sony were able to
successfully develop true green semiconductor laser with an
optical output power of more than 100 mW at a wavelength of
530 nm. This true green semiconductor laser diode is highly
reliable as it realizes wall-plug efficiency of over 8%.
The development of true green semiconductor laser diode
completes the three basic colors of the RGB laser light
sources. Sumitomo Electric and Sony anticipate a wide variety
of applications for this technology such as incorporation
into advanced laser projectors with high luminosity and broad
color gamut, as well as compact, light, energy-efficient
laser projectors.
Sumitomo Electric and Sony will continue to jointly develop
true green semiconductor laser diode to achieve even higher
output power, efficiency, and laser quality.
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