Oscillation wavelength shifts of visible and infrared laser diodes in a magnetic field

The shift, which occurs in the oscillation wavelength of a semiconductor laser in a magnetic field, has been the subject of great interest, since the early 60's. During the course of the investigation, the observed shift was toward the short wavelength side, i.e., a blue shift, which was well accounted for, in terms of the Landau level. At present, we are studying how wavelength shift is affected, by applying, at room temperature, a relatively weak magnetic field, using recently developed visible and infrared diode lasers. By doing so, we have observed a red shift and a decrease in laser output-power, under a certain magnetic field conditions in its strength and direction. Since these two changes in wavelength and output power correspond to those observed at higher temperatures, we assumed that the orientation of the magnetic field affects current density in laser diodes. And then it alters temperatures around the active layer, which in turn influence oscillation wavelength and laser output-power. Also of note, was the fact that the red shift and the decrease in laser output-power occurred simultaneously, revealing an almost linear dependency on one another. This might possibly explain the heat, which developed as the result of applying the magnetic field. However, we recently observed an instance, in which visible MQW laser diodes did not exhibit this linear dependence. Because this phenomenon cannot be traced simply to the effects of heat, we are now examining it in terms of current-density alteration.