ABSTRACT
Since the development of semiconductor lasers in 1962 and the subsequent demonstration of low-loss silica fibre, the last four decades have seen rapid progress in photonics, with applications in optical fibre communications, medical instrumentation and such consumer products as high-volume CD and DVD players for the entertainment sector, laser printers for PCs and the barcode scanners used in supermarkets. The semiconductor laser diode has emerged, particularly over the last decade, as a key device that complements the transistor to form the two major technological features of today’s information technology revolution.
