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Semiconductor Lasers: An Overview of Commercial Devices

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Within only a few decades, the semiconductor laser diode has evolved into a family of robust, reliable devices, with individual conversion efficiencies of better than 60 percent, continuous output powers of several kilowatts, modulation rates of several tens of gigahertz, and wavelengths from 0.4 to beyond 2 µm. This article discusses the structures and characteristics of the most common commercial varieties.

JDSU

Laser diodes vary widely in their wavelengths, powers, spectra and beam quality. Yet they share two fundamental components with all other lasers: an optical amplifier and a resonator that confines and recirculates light through the amplifying element. In the diode laser, the amplifying element is a forward-biased PN junction formed in a direct-bandgap semiconductor. Optical gain is provided by the recombination of electrons and holes in the PN junction. When forward biased, electrons are injected from the N side while holes are injected from the P side; both electrons and holes are...Read full article

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    Photonics Handbook
    Basic ScienceFeaturessemiconductor lasersTunable LasersCommunicationsConsumerdistributed-feedback lasersfabry-perot resonatorsmultimode laserslaserssemiconductor laser diodeJDSUdiode lasers

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