What is a tapered laser?
The tapered laser (TPL) combines the good beam quality of a RW laser (see RW laser) with the high output power of a broad area laser (see Broad area laser). The design of this laser is very similar to a tapered amplifier (see Tapered Amplifier). As the tapered amplifier it consists of an index-guided straight section and a gain-guided tapered section. But whereas the tapered amplifier is AR coated on both facets the TPL has a reflection coating on the facet of the straight section. This feedback determines the laser wavelength.
