1730 nm wavelength semiconductor laser diodes (LDs) for use in medical appliances are reported. The LD structure is grown by low-pressure MOCVD, and the active region consists of five periods of InGaAs quantum wells and InGaAsP quantum barriers. The LD has a pnpn-confined buried heterojunction structure, whose ridge width and cavity length are 2 μm and 300 μm, respectively. After facet coating, the threshold current of the LDs is about 18 ±5 mA at room temperature, and the operating current is about 60 ±5 mA at an output power of 8 mW. For the TO-packaged LDs, the output po...