Stability of ZnSe-passivated laser facets cleaved in air and in ultra-high vacuum

Single-mode 1064 nm ridge-waveguide lasers with double and triple quantum wells are used to compare the facet stability of ultra-high vacuum cleaved and ZnSe-passivated lasers with air-cleaved, atomic hydrogen cleaned and ZnSe-passivated lasers. Ultra-high vacuum cleaving leads to superior facet stability.