ABSTRACT
This chapter presents fundamental theory and characteristics of semiconductor injection lasers from the device point of view. First, the structure of the fundamental Fabry-Perot (FP)-type semiconductor lasers and the outline of the oscillation are described. Then rate equations are introduced, and the phenomenological analysis of the semiconductor laser performances is presented. The laser performances clarified through the rate equation analysis are discussed in detail. Distributed feedback lasers are presented in the next chapter.
