English

Short pulse lasers in the form of chips use the so-called mode coupling principle

1147
2023-11-10 14:56:31
See translation

Nowadays, lasers that emit extremely short flashes can be found in many research laboratories, but they usually fill the entire room. Physicists have now successfully reduced this laser to the size of a computer chip. As they reported in the journal Science, their research can lay the foundation for extremely compact detectors.

A team led by Qiushi Guo from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena has constructed their prototype semiconductor for short pulse lasers based on gallium arsenide, which is used to generate laser beams. They combined it with a crystal of another compound called lithium niobate, which is used as a conductor for light waves. Researchers arranged these two components on the basis of silicon and silicon dioxide to produce laser chips with a size of only a few millimeters.

Like other short pulse lasers, the new micro laser uses the so-called mode coupling principle: the light waves in the laser match each other in a mutually amplified manner, resulting in extremely short light pulses. Researchers successfully achieved this by applying high-frequency electric fields adapted to laser pulses. Previously, larger short pulse lasers also used this principle. But in the new laser, they cleverly arranged tiny waveguides so that they could keep the laser correspondingly small.

Trillionths of a second of short infrared flash
In testing, the prototype emitted short flashes of less than five picoseconds - millionths of a second infrared light. Their wavelength was 1065 nanometers and they repeated about 10 billion times per second. When doing so, the maximum power of the laser is half a watt, which is 500 times that of a traditional laser pen.

In the future, micro lasers can pave the way for small detectors, such as detecting bacteria and viruses in smartphones. They reflect the incident laser in a unique way, so they can be detected using highly sensitive sensors. Other applications lie in chips that use light to process digital data, making them faster than other systems. Even atomic clock lasers can be used in chip form. These can achieve accurate navigation without GPS signal, "Guo said. Considering these applications, researchers now hope not only to further increase the power of short pulse lasers, but also to make the optical pulses shorter - as low as a few femtoseconds.

Source: Laser Network

Related Recommendations
  • LASER CHINA 2025 on-the-Spot, What New Technologies are Trending This Year?

    Every year, Shanghai is lit up with a “feast of light”, that is LASER World of PHOTONICS CHINA, which has lasted for 20 years and become an arena for global photoelectric enterprises to display and compete, instead of just an exhibition hall of devices. Chanelink team visited all these halls for laser technology, thoroughly learning the cutting-edge trends in photoelectric industry.As a technical...

    03-19
    See translation
  • Lumentum Holdings changes CEO

    On February 3, 2025, Lumentum Holdings has appointed Michael Hurlston as its President, CEO, and Director, effective from February 7. Hurlston replaces Alan Lowe, who has been serving as the company's President and CEO since 2015. Lowe will continue to serve as a member of Lumentum's board of directors and as a consultant to the company.Lumentum is a major supplier of high-speed optical transceive...

    02-06
    See translation
  • Single photon avalanche diode for millimeter level object recognition using KIST

    LiDAR sensors are crucial for implementing modern technologies such as autonomous driving, AR/VR, and advanced driving assistance systems. For example, more accurate shape detection in AR/VR devices and smartphones depends on the improved range resolution of medium and short range LiDAR. This requires a single photon detector with improved timing jitter performance.LiDAR calculates the distance an...

    2024-02-03
    See translation
  • E&R Engineering launches a mold cutting solution at Semicon SEA 2024

    Advanced laser and plasma solution provider E&R Engineering Corp. has confirmed that they will participate in the Semiconductor SEA 2024 event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. With 30 years of focus in the semiconductor industry, E&R has developed a wide range of plasma and laser technologies. At Semicon SEA 2024, they will showcase their latest solutions, including:Plasma Cutting - Small M...

    2024-05-20
    See translation
  • Important Discovery in Aluminum Alloy Laser Coaxial Fusion Additive Manufacturing

    Aluminum alloy has unique advantages such as lightweight, high strength, and excellent corrosion resistance, and is highly favored in the aerospace manufacturing field. Laser Coaxial Fusion Additive Manufacturing (LCWAM) adopts beam shaping technology, which uses wire as the deposition material to melt and stack layer by layer. Compared to traditional side axis wire feeding technology, laser coaxi...

    2024-04-29
    See translation