The development of the semiconductor laser diode after the first demonstration in 1962

The time period between the first demonstrations of the semiconductor diode laser in 1962 and its pervasive commercialization in the 1990s was one of rapid exciting developments in materials growth, device design, processing and characterization. In this paper, we touch on a few of the many highlights of this period of development in order to provide a bridge between the technology of the first diode lasers and that of today's semiconductor laser research and commercialization.