singlemode fibre datalinks is discussed. Heatsink-free CW operation of 1.2 µm GaInAs/GaAs
ridge waveguide lasers is demonstrated, with a characteristic temperature T0 of 140 K. The
lasing wavelength was> 1.25 µm, which is the longest wavelength reported so far for
GaInAs/GaAs systems. A preliminary experiment using 12 µm lasers for singlemode fibre
data transmission is also performed.