Quantum confinement and strain effects on the lateral mode stability of an unstable resonator semiconductor laser

The gain medium effects on the lateral mode stability of an unstable resonator semiconductor laser are investigated. A physical optics laser model based on a many‐body semiclassical laser theory of the gain medium is used. The consistent treatment of bulk, quantum well, and strained quantum well structures shows that quantum confinement or strain can result in single lateral mode operation over significantly wider ranges of unstable resonator configurations and gain medium excitation.