From Understanding Lasers
9.11.7 Other Diode Lasers
As you can see in Table 9-2 and Figure 9-20, diode lasers can be made from a variety of other semiconductor compounds.
III V compounds of indium, gallium, arsenic, and antimony (InGaAsSb) have smaller band gaps than InGaAsP, and can be deposited on substrates of GaSb. Diode lasers made of these materials emit at wavelengths between 1.9 and 5 µm. Lasers at some of these wavelengths are available commercially; their main applications are in instruments.
Diode lasers have been demonstrated in compounds containing elements from groups II and VI of the periodic table. These II VI compounds include zinc sulfide, zinc selenide, zinc telluride, cadmium selenide, and cadmium sulfide. However, GaN lasers proved more practical for short-wavelength diode lasers.
A family called "lead salt" diode lasers emits from 2.7 µm to about 30 µm in the infrared, depending on composition, as listed in Table 9-2. Made of compounds containing lead, sulfur, selenium, and other elements, they require cooling to cryogenic temperatures. Their prime applications were in research and precision measurement of the infrared properties of materials.
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