Since its invention in 1962, the semiconductor laser has come a long way. Advances in material purity and epitaxial growth techniques have led to a variety of semiconductor lasers covering a wide wavelength range of 0. 3- 100 ~m. The development during the 1970s of Ga As semiconductor lasers, emitting in the near-infrared region of 0. 8-0. 9 ~m, resulted in their use for the first generation of optical fiber communication systems. However, to take advantage oflow losses in silica fibers occurring around 1. 3 and 1. 55 ~m, the emphasis soon shifted toward long-wavelength semiconductor lasers. The material system of choice in this wavelength range has been the quaternary alloy In Ga As P. During the last five years or so, the intense development effort devoted to In Ga As P lasers has resulted in a technology mature enough that lightwave transmission systems using In Ga As P lasers are currently being deployed throughout the world. This book is intended to provide a comprehensive account of long-wave- length semiconductor lasers. Particular attention is paid to In Ga As P lasers, although we also consider semiconductor lasers operating at longer wave- lengths. The objective is to provide an up-to-date understanding of semicon- ductor lasers while incorporating recent research results that are not yet available in the book form. Although In Ga As P lasers are often used as an example, the basic concepts discussed in this text apply to all semiconductor lasers, irrespective of their wavelengths.
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