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11.2.3.3: Diode Lasers

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    415382
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    • Semiconductor materials layered to form a diode [2, a] serve as the gain medium.
    • Excitation is achieved by the passage of electric current (forward biased) through the diode p-n junction, which forms at the interface between semiconductors with different electronic doping levels.
    • edge-emitting diode laser.pngLight emission occurs when electrons and holes in the vicinity of the p-n junction recombine following excitation.
    • The layered structure and high refractive index of semiconductor materials enables the laser optical cavity to be formed on the diode (see drawing, right).
    • Diode lasers are finding application in a wide range of areas, such as communications, medicine and chemical analysis (see Ref 2, 14, a, b).
    1. http://www.rp-photonics.com/laser_diodes.html
    2. www1.union.edu/newmanj/lasers...ctorLasers.htm

    This page titled 11.2.3.3: Diode Lasers is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Carol Korzeniewski via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.