Abstract

The development of laser is one of the most remarkable technical achievements of the 20th century and it has had a direct influence on much of modern life. Key impacts include medicine, fibre optic communication and research.

At the beginning of this talk laser diodes will be introduced and several different types of lasers classified including semiconductor and solid state lasers. These two groups of lasers will be compared and potential of semiconductor lasers for explained numerous applications discussed. The introduction section will be closed by explaining benefits of pulsed sources in comparison with their continuous wave counterparts.

In the second part of the talk semiconductor laser diodes will be discussed. This will include elements used for laser growth, laser structures and optical properties. The second part of the talk will be closed by a short history of laser diodes which will offer audience an insight into the direction this fascinating field is evolving.

In the last section several short pulse generation techniques will be introduced. This will be extended into a system oriented research delivering semiconductor laser diodes with potential to be commercialised.