Book excerpt: Many laser applications depend on the ability of a particular laser to be frequency tunable. Among the many different types of frequency tunable lasers are: dye lasers, excimer lasers, and semiconductor lasers. Thisbook gives active researchers and engineers the practical information they need to choose an appropriate tunable laser for their particular applications. - Presents a unified and integrated perspective on tunable lasers - Includes sources spanning the electromagnetic spectrum from the UV to the FIR - Contains 182 figures and 68 tables - Provides coverage of optical parametric oscillators and tunable gas, liquid, solid state, and semiconductor lasers