Electric-discharge (streamer) InP laser

Lasing was observed as a result of electric-discharge (streamer) excitation of Fe-doped InP crystals. The orientation of the discharge channels in InP and the rate of growth of the discharge (~10⁹ cm/sec) were determined. The output power per track was 200 W at 300 K. The short duration of the process (10^–12 sec) of intense excitation of nonequilibrium carriers (10³¹ cm^–3 · sec^–1) and their rapid deexcitation as a result of lasing (2 × 10^–11 sec) made it possible to achieve lasing in materials characterized by strong nonradiative processes corresponding to nonequilibrium carrier lifetimes (10^–10–3×10^–11 sec). Electric-discharge (streamer) InP lasers can be used as sources of nanosecond and picosecond pulses of near infrared radiation.