[China Packaging Network News] Since it was invented more than 50 years ago, lasers have changed many technologies - from cd players to surgical instruments. Today, researchers from France and Hungary have invented a method for printing lasers. It is so cheap, simple and efficient that researchers believe that the core components of the laser can be disposed of after each use. The team reported this finding in the Journal of Applied Physics, a subsidiary of the American Physical Society Publishing Company.
"The low cost and simplicity of manufacturing laser chips is the most important aspect of this achievement," said sébastiensanaur, assistant professor of the Microelectronics Center of the National Higher Mining School of Saint Etienne.
Sanaur and colleagues created organic lasers that use carbon-containing materials to amplify light. Although these lasers are not as popular as inorganic lasers used in laser pointers, dvd players, and optical mice, they can provide efficient photon conversion, have many advantages such as simple manufacturing, low cost, wide wavelength range, and so on.
The sanaur team used inkjet printers to create ultra-low-cost organic lasers. They tested various possible ink jets, then selected a commercial ink jet called emd6415 and mixed it with the dye. This ink jet is printed in a small square on a quartz slide. The dyed ink jet serves as the core of the laser and is called a gain medium. It amplifies the light and produces a typical narrow, monochromatic laser beam.
The laser also needs a mirror to reflect light back and forth to keep the light amplification effect going. This is achieved by means of a gain medium and an energy source called a laser pump.
The portion of the new laser that can be disposed of is the gain medium that researchers have dubbed "laser-generating capsules." According to estimates, it can be produced in just a few cents. Like blades that can be replaced in a razor blade, "laser-generating capsules" can easily be replaced after wear.
The research team used two different dyes to produce laser radiation from yellow to dark red. They predict that other dyes can cover the blue and green parts of the spectrum.