The design and operation of InGaAs-GaAs-AlGaAs asymmetric cladding ridge waveguide distributed Bragg reflector lasers is presented. Targeted for the remote sensing of water vapor with absorption lines in the /spl lambda//spl sim/930 nm region, these devices operate CW with threshold currents as low as 11 mA and slope efficiencies as high as 0.37 W/A. They also operate with over 30-dB side-mode suppression, and the typical CW characteristic temperature, T/sub 0/, is 95 K.