Sep 30 2010
Sony has rolled out a new blue-violet laser diode that is useful for playing and recording Blu-ray discs. The SLD3237VF supports BDXL, which is a standard for high-capacity Blu-ray discs and has a maximum pulsed output of 400 mW.
The SLD3237VF with an output of 400mW (left) and the SLD3237VFR with an output of 350mW
The SLD3237VF laser diode is mounted in a package that has a 5.6 mm diameter. The operating temperature of the laser diode ranges from 0 to 85°C. Sony has also launched the SLD3237VFR laser diode with a 350 mW pulsed output. The SLD3237VFR is mounted on a package that has a 3.8 mm diameter. The SLD3237VFR’s operating temperature ranges from 0 to 90°C.
Sony stated that the SLD3237VF blue-violet laser diode is the first in the industry to have an output of 400 mW or more. The high output enables usage of a diverse variety of optical units such as prisms and lenses.
Sony informed that to view the output high-end technologies are required to improve gallium nitride’s crystal quality and to stop the laser heat from melting the laser resonator’s end face. The phenomenon of the laser heat melting the end face of the laser resonator is known as catastrophic optical damage (COD).
The company manufactured a coating material and a film forming technique and succeeded in increasing the optical output level, which causes COD. To enhance the quality of crystals, the company manufactured metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) crystal growth device to develop GaN materials.