Cathodoluminescence is a powerful technique for the characterization of semiconductors. Due to its high spatial resolution, it is emerging as a suitable method for the study of semiconductor devices. The reduced dimension of the devices and the multilayer structure of their active parts demand experimental means with high lateral resolution and probe depth tunability for characterising the different layers forming the device structure. Degradation is a crucial technological issue for high power devices. In particular, the failures of laser diodes are due to the formation of defects during the laser operation. Those defects can be imaged by cathodoluminescence; furthermore, its spectroscopic capabilities permit to go beyond the mere observation of the non-luminescent area morphology, allowing a better understanding of the physical mechanisms of degradation. We present herein an overview of the cathodoluminescence analysis of catastrophically degraded high power laser diodes, both single mode and multimode broad emitter lasers. The study of the defects responsible of the degradation is a step forward to establish models of degradation, necessary to improve the laser power and durability.

阴极发光是用于表征半导体的强大技术。由于其高的空间分辨率，它正成为一种适合研究半导体器件的方法。减小尺寸的器件及其有源部件的多层结构需要具有高横向分辨率和探针深度可调性的实验手段，以表征形成器件结构的不同层。退化是高功率设备的关键技术问题。特别地，激光二极管的故障是由于在激光操作期间形成缺陷而引起的。那些缺陷可以通过阴极发光成像。此外，它的光谱功能不仅可以观察不发光区域的形态，可以更好地了解降解的物理机制。我们在此介绍灾难性退化的高功率激光二极管（单模和多模宽发射器激光器）的阴极发光分析概述。对导致退化的缺陷的研究是建立退化模型的一步，这是提高激光功率和耐用性所必需的。