Editing Laser diode rate equations (section)

The [[laser diode]] [[rate equation]]s model the electrical and optical performance of a laser diode. This system of [[ordinary differential equation]]s relates the number or density of [[photon]]s and [[charge carrier]]s ([[electron]]s) in the device to the injection [[current (electricity)|current]] and to device and material parameters such as [[carrier lifetime]], photon lifetime, and the [[Semiconductor optical gain|optical gain]].

The rate equations may be solved by [[numerical integration]] to obtain a [[time-domain]] solution, or used to derive a set of [[steady state]] or [[small-signal model|small signal equations]] to help in further understanding the static and dynamic characteristics of [[semiconductor lasers]].

The laser diode rate equations can be formulated with more or less complexity to model different aspects of laser diode behavior with varying accuracy.