Diode Laser Emits in the Mid-IR at Room Temperature

The Naval Research Laboratory in Washington has produced a laser diode that displays pulsed operation in the mid-infrared at room temperature. Team members Jerry Meyer of the lab's Optical Sciences Div., Ramon Martinelli of Sarnoff Corp. in Princeton, N.J., and Alan Sugg of Sensors Unlimited Inc., also in Princeton, said the technology has potential field applications in pollution monitoring and medical diagnostics, and in the identification of chemical weapons.

The trio combined an antimonide quantum-well structure developed by the lab with Sarnoff's broadened-waveguide confinement region. The laser produced >2 mW of pulsed 3.3-µm light at 27 °C and continuous-wave output at -78 °C.