Abstract

High performance semiconductor diode lasers with emission wavelengths in the 2-5μm range would be useful for a variety of applications, including optical communications employing fluoride-based fibers, laser radar exploiting atmospheric transmission windows, remote sensing of atmospheric gases, and molecular spectroscopy. Diode lasers incorporating GaInAsSb active layers and AlGaAsSb confining layers lattice matched to GaSb substrates can potentially provide emission wavelengths from 1.7 to 4.3 μm at 300 K with good carrier and optical confinement. Room temperature cw operation with emission at 2.0-2.4 μm has been reported^1,2 for GaInAsSb/AlGaAsSb lasers grown by liquid phase epitaxy (LPE).

© 1990 Optical Society of America