US Patent 7813396 Transistor laser devices and methods

A method for producing light emission from a semiconductor device includes the following steps: providing a semiconductor base region disposed between a semiconductor emitter region and a semiconductor collector region that forms a tunnel junction adjacent the base region; providing, in the base region, a region exhibiting quantum size effects; providing an emitter terminal, a base terminal, and a collector terminal respectively coupled with the emitter region, the base region, and the collector region; and applying electrical signals with respect to the emitter terminal, the base terminal and the collector terminal to produce light emission from the base region.