Feature
The Quantum Cascade Laser: A Versatile and Powerful Tool
Many applications in the infrared are awaiting the right laser source. Advances in quantum cascade lasers will enable powerful new technologies to become commercial realities.
Manijeh Razeghi (center) and colleagues at the Center for Quantum Devices at Northwestern University.
The diode laser has been around for more than 40 years. In the beginning, it was a scientific novelty. Later, it became a strategic technology, due to its small size, low power consumption and long lifetime. Now, thanks to mass production, millions of laser diodes are manufactured each month and appear in products ranging from telecommunications transmitters to DVD players to laser pointers. In fact, diode lasers made up roughly 55 percent of a $6.9 billion worldwide laser market in 2007.
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