Optics

Laser diodes history

Once the weaklings of the laser world, unable to emit a few milliwatts continuously at room temperature, laser diodes have become workhorses. Today they power the Internet, pump multikilowatt lasers, and weld plastics. There’s a lot of innovation in those tiny chips. Photonic Frontiers: Laser diodes: Looking back/Looking forward: Laser diodes have come a long