Semiconductor Lasers: An Overview of Commercial Devices
Apr 13, 2006 — 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. Laser diodes vary widely in their wavelengths, powers, spectra and beam