Quantum Confined Laser Devices Optical gain and recombination in semiconductors

Peter Blood, Honary Professor, School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University

Peter Blood received a PhD degree from the University of Leeds, UK and subsequently worked at Philips Research Laboratories, Redhill, UK on aspects of the electrical properties of semiconductors, spending some time as a visitor at Bell Laboratories at Murray Hill, NJ. Since 1983 he has been investigating the operation of semiconductor lasers and in 1990 he moved to the School of Physics and Astronomy in Cardiff University where the Group developed techniques for the observation of spontaneous emission from laser diodes as a means of probing their steady-state and dynamic behaviour, and amplified spontaneous emission techniques for the measurement of absorption, gain and spontaneous emission. As well as giving undergraduate and postgraduate lectures courses on laser diodes Peter Blood has given many short courses and review tutorials on quantum confined lasers at international conferences, including CLEO and the International Semiconductor Laser Conference.

1. The beginning
Part I: The diode laser
2. Introduction to optical gain
3. The laser diode structure
4. The planar waveguide
5. Laser action
Part II: Fundamental processes
6. The classical atomic dipole oscillator
7. Quantum mechanical interaction
8. Quantum confinement
Part III: Device Physics
9. Gain and emission in quantum dots
10. Rate equations for dot state occupation
11. Optical transitions in quantum wells
12. Gain and recombination current in quantum wells
13. Rate equations for laser operation
Part IV: Device Operation
14. Device Structures
15. Threshold and the light-current characteristic
16. Temperature dependence of threshold current
Part V: Studies of gain and recombination
17. Measurement of gain and emission
18. Single pass measurement of gain and emission