Visible CW (AlGa)As heterojunction laser diodes

Room temperature laser diode operation in (AlGa)As is possible to wavelengths as short as 6900 Å. However, the achievement of CW operation becomes increasingly difficult with decreasing wavelength in the 7000 Å range because of a combination of technological and inherent materials limitations. This paper reports on CW laser diodes to wavelengths as short as 7276 Å, the shortest CW laser diode operation achieved to date with any material at room temperature. The characteristics of heterojunction laser diodes operating in the 7000 Å spectral range are discussed and compared with theory.