Continuous operation over 1500 h of a PbTe/PbSnTe double-heterostructure laser at 77 K

Abstract
Continuous operation over 1500 h at 77 K has been achieved by use of a PbTe/Pb0.93Sn0.07Te double‐heterostructure laser which was grown using the liquid‐phase‐epitaxy method. The cw threshold current changed only about 3% during the first 200 h. It is concluded that the lifetime of PbTe/PbSnTe double‐heterostructure lasers at 77 K is fundamentally very long.