"Mushroom" double-channel double-heterostructure lead chalcogenide lasers made by chemical etching

Double-channel double-heterostructure (DCDH) lead chalcogenide lasers were made using a chemical etchant. The etching rate depends strongly on the europium content of the ternary compound PbEuSe. This technique allows the development of selective etching processes for advanced laser design. The DCDH lasers show low-threshold current densities of 60 A/cm2 at 20 K and suppression of lateral modes.