Development of Semiconductor Heterostructures −The Path to Room Temperature Continuous-Wave Operation of Semiconductor Lasers− (The Nobel Prize in Physics 2000)

Abstract

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2000 was awarded for “fundamental research in information and communication technology.” This review discusses the history of the development of semiconductor lasers, focusing on the outstanding contributions of Zhores Alferov and Herbert Krömer, who achieved continuous-wave operation at room temperature in semiconductor double heterostructure lasers. The subsequent evolution of the double heterostructure lasers, including quantum well lasers, quantum dot lasers, and quantum cascade lasers, is also briefly discussed.