Microgun pumped semiconductor lasers: Application to CdTe-CdMnTe

Abstract We report on a novel ‘microgun pumped semiconductor laser’ (MSL), which is the most compact (few cm 3 ) electron beam pumped semiconductor laser ever reported. It has been successfully applied to visible laser emission using CdTe/CdMnTe heterostructures, between 90 K–300 K, and also to GaAs/GaAlAs. It operates below 10 kV and below 1 A/cm 2 . Since it does not need any doping control or ohmic contact, the MSL should be a viable solution for making compact II–VI lasers in the visible domain.