10-MW light emission from electron-pumped semiconductors

Summary form only, as given. Intense bursts of light with a peak power of 10 MW have been obtained reproducibly by electron pumping of semiconductor materials such as CdS. Semiconductor lasers have several advantages: high output from small volumes, fairly high conversion efficiencies, possibility of direct electron pumping, and arbitrary choice of wavelength by selection of proper compound or alloy. Their use in such applications as flash photography has been limited previously by the relatively low output of junction diodes on one hand, and limited pumping capabilities of hand, and limited pumping capabilities of conventional electron beam sources on the other.