Description: The semiconductor laser has emerged as the most important laser device currently in use, judging from the impact it has on our everyday life. Millions of these lasers are already in use, with applications ranging from compact disc players to barcode readers. Several excellent books have been written on semiconductor lasers in the last 20 years; however, the extremely rapid development of the field requires a frequent update of this topic.

This book covers the device physics of semiconductor lasers in five chapters written by recognized experts in this field. The volume begins by introducing the basic mechanisms of optical gain in semiconductors and the role of quantum confinement in modern quantum well diode lasers. Subsequent chapters treat the effects of built-in strain, one of the important recent advances in the technology of these lasers, and the physical mechanisms underlying the dynamics and high speed modulation of these devices. The book concludes with chapters addressing the control of photon states in squeezed-light and microcavity structures, and electron states in low dimensional quantum wire and quantum dot lasers.

The book offers useful information for both readers unfamiliar with semiconductor lasers, through the introductory parts of each chapter, as well as a state-of-the-art discussion of some of the most advanced semiconductor laser structures, intended for readers engaged in research in this field. This book may also serve as an introduction for the companion volume, Semiconductor Lasers II: Materials and Structures which presents further details on the different material systems and laser structures used for achieving specific diode laser performance features.

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