Rami Arieli: "The
Laser Adventure" Chapter 6.3 Diode lasers Page 1.
6.3 Diode Lasers
All diode lasers are built from semiconductor materials, and
all show electric properties which are characteristics of electrical diodes.
For this reason the diode lasers have other names such as:
-
Semiconductor Lasers
- According to the composed materials.
-
Junction Lasers
- Since they are composed of p-n junction.
-
Injection Lasers
- Since the electrons are injected into the junction by the applied
voltage.
Both research and commercial use of diode lasers has change dramatically
during the last 20 years of the 20th century.
Today the number of diode lasers sold in a year is measured in millions,
while all other kinds of lasers together are sold in tens of thousands.
In fact, the family of diode lasers are used in a wide variety of consumer
products including:
Compact Discs,
Laser
Printers, Bar Code
Scanners in retail stores and Optical
communication.
Historic Development:
The diode laser was invented independently in 1962, at three different
research laboratories in the US.
The researchers succeeded in getting a coherent electromagnetic radiation
from a forward biased diode (p-n junction) made from the semiconductor
GaAs.