Microchip Device Emits the Shortest Wavelength Laser in the World
Japanese researchers have developed a device that can produce the world's shortest-wavelength laser, and a Nobel laureate predicts that this breakthrough will lead to dramatic changes in global manufacturing. Lasers are used in precision equipment and instruments, including medical and manufacturing tools. According to a team of scientists from Nagoya University and Asahi Kasei, the shorter the laser wavelength, the more accurate the cut. Researchers say they made a laser generator out of semiconductors. The device can generate a laser with a wavelength of 271.8nm (one nanometer is one billionth of a meter). The shortest wavelength before semiconductor equipment reported in 2008 was 336nm. The laser device is expected to be combined with a miniature endoscope and can be used for a variety of purposes. "Miniature devices will revolutionize manufacturing around the world," Hiroshi Amano, a professor of engineering at Nagoya University and a 2014 Nobel Prize winne...