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Science 22 October 1999:
Vol. 286. no. 5440, pp. 749 - 752
DOI: 10.1126/science.286.5440.749
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Reports

Bidirectional Semiconductor Laser

Claire Gmachl, * Alessandro Tredicucci, Deborah L. Sivco, Albert L. Hutchinson, Federico Capasso, Alfred Y. Cho

A semiconductor laser capable of operating under both positive and negative bias voltage is reported. Its active region behaves functionally as two different laser materials, emitting different wavelengths, depending on the design, when biased with opposite polarities. This concept was used for the generation of two wavelengths (6.3 and 6.5 micrometers) in the midinfrared region of the spectrum from a single quantum cascade laser structure. The two wavelengths are excited independently of each other and separated in time. This may have considerable impact on various semiconductor laser applications including trace gas analysis in remote sensing applications with differential absorption spectroscopy.

Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, 600 Mountain Avenue, Murray Hill, NJ 07974, USA.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: cg{at}lucent.com

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)