30, 20, and 10 Years Ago in OPN

“More than two decades have passed since the alluring concepts of integrated optics were first proposed. This period has been filled with innovative worldwide research on a vast spectrum of guided-wave device ideas, and commercial applications are finally beginning to appear … For the first time, semiconductor lasers have demonstrated single spectral and spatial mode outputs in excess of 2 W cw. This milestone demonstration opens up a number of new markets that have traditionally been inaccessible for laser diodes, including space communication, high-power frequency doubling, materials processing and high-resolution printing.”