Solid-State Lasers & Diode Semiconductor Lasers: Lasers Applications

Semiconductor Lasers
Different lasers use different materials as the active medium. The medium can be either solid, liquid, or gas, and there are advantages for each in the amount of energy that can be stored, ease of handling and storage, secondary safety hazards, cooling properties, and physical characteristics of the laser output. (more…)

Development of Laser Technology in Military, Industrial and Medical

Development of Laser Technology
The first known laser was made by Theodore Maiman at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California, in 1960, but the seeds of this breakthrough were planted years before. In 1917 Albert Einstein, through his work on the quantum theory of light, theorized that stimulated emission of light radiation could occur. The idea was forgotten, though, until the middle of the century. (more…)

What is a LASER? Stimulated Emission and Population Inversion

LASER Population Inversion
The word “laser” is an acronym for “light amplification by the stimulated emission of radiation.” Lasers of all kinds consist of several basic components: an active medium, an outside energy source, and an optical cavity with carefully designed mirrors on both ends. One of the mirrors is 100 percent reflective while the other is somewhat less reflective, so a beam can be emitted. The active medium is inside the optical cavity and is excited with an external energy source (typically electricity). For the cavity to emit laser radiation, the active medium has to achieve an unusual energy state called “population inversion.” (more…)

MEMS Microfabrication Techniques for Engineering Materials

MEMS Microfabrication
Fabrication techniques developed for integrated circuit (IC) production have been refined to the extent of supporting a multi-billion-dollar industry. Chip manufacturing relies on silicon-based processing where micron-sized features are routinely used in production. Microtechnology-Based Energy and Chemical Systems do not require the extremely small ‘‘line widths’’ needed for IC fabrication. Furthermore, in many energy applications, silicon is not the favored material, as discussed previously. Other fabrication techniques, such as LIGA, have been specifically developed for MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems). (more…)