Better, Cheaper Laser Technology

Newswise — New mid-infrared microchip laser technology developed by UAB researchers, in collaboration with scientists in the United States, Austria and Russia, will lead to better instruments used in a variety of industries, including medical, environmental, scientific and counter-terrorism. "The devices this could impact include surgical laser scalpels, non-invasive blood glucose monitors, industrial process controls and detection of explosives, chemical and biological warfare agents," says UAB physics professor Sergey Mirov, Ph.D., lead author on a paper recently published in the IEE Optoelectronics Journal. "The technology meets the need for a low-cost, reliable mid-infrared laser. This technology is the first successfully demonstrated fiber and diode pumpable microchip laser based on chromium doped zinc sulfide semiconductor material."