Three promising methods of improving temporal coherence in semiconductor lasers are reviewed. They are the development of novel laser devices, a technique of optical feedback and a technique of electrical feedback. The main discussion in this paper is focused on the technique of electrical feedback. The theoretical limit of frequency stability and recent experimental results are presented with respect to the following five subjects which are indispensable in the realization of highly coherent lasers: (a) frequency stabilization; (b) improvements in frequency reproducibility; (c) linewidth reduction; (d) frequency tracking; and (e) stable, accurate and wideband frequency sweep.
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