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400 mW Output Blue-Violet Semiconductor
Laser Diodes Support BDXL™
SLD3237VF/SLD3237VFR
To respond to the increasing popularity of HD and 3D content, Sony has now developed the industry's first 400 mW pulsed
optical output laser diode, the SLD3237VF. This high-output blue-violet laser diode supports high-speed recording
for the new "BDXL™" large-capacity standard, which increases the Blu-ray disc recording capacity to 128 GB.
The increased output of this new device makes 4x-speed recording on 4-layer BDXL-R media possible.
At the same time, Sony has also developed the SLD3237VFR 350 mW pulsed optical output laser diode, which is provided in
a 3.8 mm diameter package, and has initiated sales in IT related applications such as slim factor drives.
* For mass production as of September 2010. |
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SLD3237VF/SLD3237VFR |
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■ Maximum optical output of 400 mW supports BDXL™ (in pulse
drive mode)
■ Guaranteed high-temperature
operation of 85 °C and 90 °C
(SLD3237VF/SLD3237VFR,
respectively)
■ Lineup includes a 3.8 mm
diameter compact package
product for slim drives
* BDXL™ is a trademark of the Blu-ray Disc
Association.
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 Maximum Optical Output of
400 mW Supports BDXL™
(in Pulse Drive Mode) |
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To support increasingly higher speed
multiples in Blu-ray disc media recording,
Sony has released a series of blue-violet
laser diodes with optical outputs of 65, 125,
170, 200, and 330mW (the SLD3232VF
through SLD3236VF). The SLD3236VF,
which provides the highest optical output
of these devices, 330mW, supports Blu-ray
disc recording at up to 8x speed on 2-layer
media. Sony has now developed the 400
mW pulsed optical output SLD3237VF and
has started mass production of this devices
as the industry's first 400 mW blue-violet
laser diode. This increase in optical output
makes possible both 4x-speed recoding on
4-layer media (BDXL-R), which supports
large capacities up to 128 GB, and 12x-speed
recording on 2-layer media.
To achieve mass production of blue-violet
laser diodes in the 400 mW class, it is
necessary to prevent the melting of the laser
device end surface by a phenomenon known
as catastrophic optical damage (COD). In the
newly-developed SLD3237VF, Sony adopted
newly developed and optimized materials
and structure of the coating on the laser
device emission facet. This made it possible
to achieve the high output of 400 mW optical
output in pulsed operation. |
| Guaranteed High-Temperature
Operation Up to 85 °C (SLD3237VF) |
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During operation at an optical output of 400 mW, the heat generated by the laser device
itself increases. As a result, guaranteed
operation at even higher temperatures than
before is now required. To assure reliability
at high-temperature operation, it was
necessary to improve the crystal quality of
the gallium nitride crystal, which is the laser
diode structural material. To resolve this
issue, Sony designed a new MOCVD (metal-organic
chemical vapor deposition) system
and optimized the crystal growth conditions.
As a result, Sony achieved high reliability
during pulsed optical output operation at 400mW even at the high temperature of
85 °C.
While the technique of increasing the chip
size to improve the heat dissipation of the
laser chip is often adopted as a means of
achieving high-temperature operation, in
this product, improving the crystal quality
allowed Sony to succeed not only in achieving
high-temperature operation, but also to
narrow the size of the laser chip. In addition
to shrinking the size of the chip, Sony also
developed processes and process equipment that achieve high production efficiency in
the wafer process. This will allow Sony to
respond to the increasing demand for Blu-ray
semiconductor laser diodes.
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Lineup Includes a 3.8 mm Diameter Compact
Package Product for Slim Drives
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We expect to see increasing demand for slim
factor Blu-ray disc drives that support data
recording for IT applications. To respond
to these market demands, in addition to
the existing 5.6 mm diameter package
SLD3237VF, we are also releasing the
SLD3237VFR, which is provided in a 3.8 mm
diameter package that is optimal for compact
drives. Since the environmental temperature
can be especially high in IT applications,
not only does the SLD3237VFR feature a
miniature package, but it also achieves
operation at even higher temperatures, in
particular supporting 350 mW pulsed optical
output operation at up to 90 °C. |
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•••• Mr. Taniguchi and Mr. Nakayama••••
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Development of the SLD3237VF and
SLD3237VFR involved the introduction of
many new elements, both in manufacturing
equipment and technology and there were
many difficulties. However, from the first stages
of development we received cooperation
from many people in a variety of groups,
from the manufacturing department and the
semiconductor business group analysis team
to the technology development division. This
allowed us to create even better products.
Based on the technological foundations created
for these products, we plan to proceed with
development of even higher output laser diode
products. |
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See
all articles with figures and tables.  |
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Vol.63 |
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