Electron-beam-excited lasers based on A2B6 compounds (review)

The literature on electron-beam-pumped semiconductor lasers (EPSLs) based on A²B⁶ compounds is reviewed. Recent advances in the development of EPSLs in the Nineties are reflected. The literature data on the output parameters of these EPSLs are systematized. Basic parameters and characteristics of EPSLs their hardware realization, the properties of active media, and the mechanisms of amlification and degradation are discussed. The works on the use of EPSLs for pumping of other active media are reviewed. Institute of Semiconductor Engineering RWTH, 55, Templergraben, Aachen, D-52056, Germany (permanent address: B. I. Stepanov Institute of Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 68, F. Skorina Ave., Minsk, 220072, Belarus). Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 66, No. 5, pp. 601–618, September–October, 1999