Part 2

10 Semiconductor Light Sources

In the last chapter, we considered the behavior of light as a particle. We will continue with our discussion of light’s particle nature as we consider the interaction of radiation and matter within semiconductors. These discussions will bring us to understand why semiconductors make good candidates for light emission materials. As anyone who has worked with LEDs knows, by varying the semiconductor alloy, a different emission color or wavelength will result. The LED has many useful optical and electrical characteristics. These will also be discussed in detail. Next, we will study the operation of the diode laser. To understand this operation more fully, we must consider both the particle and wave natures ...

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