Sharp to Begin Volume Production of High-Power 210-mW Blue-Violet Laser Diodes

March 14, 2007

Sharp Corporation will begin volume production in May of the High-Power Blue-Violet Laser Diode GH04P21A2G that achieves a power output of 210 mW, the industry’s highest. This device will enable high-speed 6X recording on next-generation dual-layer Blu-ray Discs (BD) and HD-DVDs.

As terrestrial digital broadcasting spreads throughout Japan, demand for LCD TVs and HD recorders that support full-spec 1080p HDTV is expanding rapidly. Consumers are becoming more familiar with high-definition/resolution HD video, and the desire to be able to record high-quality pictures from HD sources and store them on removable disc media is also rapidly increasing.

This year, the market for recorders and PCs capable of recording on next-generation DVDs is expected to take off in earnest, and demand for blue laser diodes, the key device in this type of equipment, is projected to increase in tandem. Users are also expected to demand faster recording times in the future which will require speeding up the write process for individual layers on these discs.

Since beginning mass production of the industry’s first infrared laser diode for use in CD players in 1982, Sharp has consistently been an industry leader in both technology and production.

The GH04P21A2G 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 power output of 210 mW that will contribute to high-speed recording for the next generation of DVDs, this current device also features a long service life of 10,000 hours, a level that leads the industry.

Source: Sharp