Renesas Electronics Enters Blue-Violet Laser Market

Semiconductor solutions provider Renesas Electronics Corp. announced the release of its first blue-violet semiconductor laser diode with a wavelength of 405 nm and a new structure that incorporate an optical waveguide into the semiconductor device to enable high power output and suitability for mass production.

Ideal for Blu-ray disc recording and playback, the new laser diode features an inner-stripe structure in which the optical waveguide that influences the quality of the laser diode is incorporated into the semiconductor.

In the new structure, the optical waveguide is fabricated on a gallium nitride (GaN) substrate with approximately ten times improved accuracy and 20 percent increased heat dissipation compared to the conventional devices, in which the optical waveguide is formed on the surface of the laser chip, said the company.

The new device offers high optical power output of 350 mW, provides linearity from the low-output range through the high-temperature, high-output range, and it reduces laser noise that occurs during playback to less than one third of the company’s existing devices.

To meet the growing demands of the Blu-ray disc drive market, the company aims to expand its lineup of blue-violet laser diodes with the release of a 420 mW laser for dual-layer, 12X Blu-ray recording by December.

For more information, visit: www.renesas.eu