diode laser
–noun | a laser in which a semiconductor is the light-emitting source, used in many medical procedures. |
semiconductor laser
n. A solid-state device that consists of two outer semiconductor layers separated by a middle layer and generates laser radiation when charge carriers of opposite polarity, one each from the top and bottom layers, meet in the middle layer. Also called diode laser. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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semiconductor laser
A solid-state laser constructed like a semiconductor diode. At the junction of anode and cathode, electrons and holes come together; when an electron falls into a hole, bandgap radiation is emitted, as in a light emitting diode. Semiconductor lasers are constructed so that the resulting light tends to stimulate other nearby pairs of electrons and holes to undergo the same process, emitting more light. Also called diode laser, laser diode. See more at laser.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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