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 GaAs 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 InGaAsP. During the last five years or so, the intense development effort devoted to InGaAsP lasers has resulted in a technology mature enough that lightwave transmission systems using InGaAsP 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 InGaAsP 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 InGaAsP lasers are often used as an example, the basic concepts discussed in this text apply to all semiconductor lasers, irrespective of their wavelengths. Front Matter....Pages i-xv Introduction....Pages 1-24 Basic Concepts....Pages 25-73 Recombination Mechanisms in Semiconductors....Pages 74-146 Epitaxy and Material Parameters of InGaAsP....Pages 147-179 Laser Structures and Their Performance....Pages 180-230 Rate Equations and Operating Characteristics....Pages 231-318 Distributed-Feedback Semiconductor Lasers....Pages 319-384 Coupled-Cavity Semiconductor Lasers....Pages 385-425 Quantum-Well Semiconductor Lasers....Pages 426-471 Surface-Emitting Lasers....Pages 472-486 Optical Amplifiers....Pages 487-529 Photonic and Optoelectronic Integrated Circuits....Pages 530-546 Infrared and Visible Semiconductor Lasers....Pages 547-582 Degradation and Reliability....Pages 583-606 Back Matter....Pages 607-616 Applications of semiconductor lasers in optical communications and other lightwave technologies have expanded considerably in recent years. This updated edition of the leading guide in the fields responds to these developments. It incorporates the latest advances in the design and performance of semiconductor lasers for lightwave transmission systems, and helps engineers design high quality optical transmitters
