In May 2007 Sharp started volume production of the High-Power Blue-Violet Laser Diode GH04P21A2GE that achieves a power output of 210mW, which is currently one of the industry’s highest. This device, with its high power output and typical wavelength of 406 nm, enables two layer Blue-ray Discs (BD) and HDDVDs of the next generation to run six times faster.

The GH04P21A2GE makes full use of crystal growth technology developed for infrared, red, and blue-violet low power laser diodes. In addition to a newly developed laser chip with a proprietary facet structure and a high optical power output of 210mW (pulse mode) that will contribute to high-speed recording for the next generation of DVDs, this device also features a long service life of 10,000 hours, a level that leads the industry.

The GH04P21A2GE-Laserdiode is available in a standard CAN-housing with a diameter of 5.6mm. Also a low-power version GH04020A2GE is now available with a maximum output power of 20mW for several applications.