Design and experimental study on the grating outcouplers providing the controlled 2D-intensity profile of the output beam from a broad area laser diode

We present a method of designing a grating outcoupler to obtain the desired 1D- and 2D-intensity profile of the optical beam emitted by a grating coupled surface emitting laser. The method is based on variation of the periodicity, duty cycle, and the groove tilt angle of the grating. Grating design involves numerical analysis of the optical field propagated through the grating, by applying the Rigorous Coupled Wave Approach method. Experimental evaluation of the designed grating components was done by fabrication and testing the broad area semiconductor lasers with the monolithically integrated grating outcouplers. We also present a grating design which provides the spreading of a single optical output into multi-beams at different outcoupling angles in the emitting plane.