Sharp's plans in the laser semiconductor business include the release of the a 250mW blue laser diode for 6x recording as well as the first diode for 8x recorders in the next two years.

Since beginning mass production of the industry's first infrared laser diode for use in CD players in 1982, Sharp has been an industry leader in this field. The company gave today in Japan a technological briefing of its latest developments related to laser diodes. In the event, Sharp showcased its latest series of High-Power Blue-Violet Laser Diode for Blu-Ray recorders powerful enough to burn dual layer Blu-ray Discs at the 6x speed.

Sharp will start production of two variations of the new diode next month April. The GH04P25A4G features a proprietary facet structure and its ultra compact dimensions (3.3mm diameter) make it suitable for use in notebook BD drives. The other model (GH04P25A2G) features a diameter of 5.6mm and can be installed in desktop BD drives.

The supported power output of 250 mW makes possible high-speed 6X recording on dual-layer Blu-ray Discs (BD). The power consumption of the laser chip was decreased, and mounting on 3.3mm diameter package was enabled by suppressing the rise in heat of the package, according to Sharp.

Sharp will start mass production of the new diodes on April, priced at 50,000 yen.

Sharp's plans also include the development of a more powerful laser diode that will be able to burn single and dual layer Blu-ray discs at 8x, using a power output of 300mW. This will be more likely reach the mass production stage 2009, followed by a 400mW device for multi-layer 8x~12x recording in 2010.

In the red lasers, Sharp will release the possibly the final series of laser diode for high-speed DVD recorders in April. The new "GH16P40A8C" laser diode is extremely thin (1.8mm) and it can output 400mW red laser pulses, strong enough to burn dual-layer DVDs at the highest available speeds. Sharp's current laser diodes for DVDs output at 350mW.

This product is expected to be used in fast DVD recorders for notebooks. The company aims at a production capacity of 7000000 units per month.