Slashdot Mirror
First Silicon Laser
An anonymous reader writes "Since the creation of the first working laser, scientists have fashioned them from substances ranging from neon to sapphire. Silicon was not considered a candidate, because its structure wouldn't allow for the proper line-up of electrons needed to get this semiconductor to emit light. That has now changed thanks to three researchers at Brown University who have created the first directly pumped silicon laser by drilling billions of holes in a small bit of silicon using a nanoscale template."
Another first silicon laser? So who was really first?
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http://oemagazine.com/newscast/2004/102604_newsca
Los Angeles, CA | 26 October 2004 -- Researchers at UCLA have demonstrated the first silicon laser, which could lead to more effective biochemical detection, secure communications, and defense against heat-seeking missiles.
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http://www.intel.com/technology/silicon/sp/
First Continuous Silicon Laser
In a paper published February 17, 2005 by the prestigious scientific journal Nature, Intel researchers disclosed the development of the first continuous wave all-silicon laser using a physical property called the Raman Effect. They built the experimental device using Intel's existing standard CMOS high-volume manufacturing processes. This is the third silicon photonics paper Intel has published in Nature since 2004, beginning with the modulator breakthrough (see the Learn More section).
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http://www.photonics.com/readart.asp?url=readarti
PROVIDENCE, R.I., Nov. 21 -- Silicon has made its way into everything from computers to cameras. But a silicon laser? Physically impossible -- until now. A Brown University research team led by Jimmy Xu has engineered the first directly pumped silicon laser by changing the structure of the silicon crystal through a novel nanoscale technique.
Evil people are out to get you.
This is particularly interesting to me. Not twenty minutes ago, my professor in Laser Theory spent a few minutes describing why Si lasers would never work, and we'd be rich to figure out how to get one to work.