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Cooler Silicon Lasers Via Energy Harvesting
Light Licker writes "UCLA researchers have developed a way to cut power use and heat output from a silicon laser used for optoelectronics. Both have been problems because silicon absorbs too much light — producing high-energy free electrons that make heat. One of Intel's best silicon lasers produced 125 times more heat than usable light. The UCLA team added a diode to their laser which can harvest free electrons and use them to help power the circuit — simultaneously cutting heat output and power use."
You'd think Intel would know that Radio Shack carries a wide variety...
We figured out a long time ago that it's easier to elect seven judges than to elect 132 legislators.
"It's a very clever approach," says Philippe Fauchet, an applied physicist at the University of Rochester in New York State. "I did not expect it at all, which is always a nice surprise."
An applied physicist "didn't expect" that an electric field would move the free electrons out of the way?
This just goes to show that even seemingly simple ideas can be powerful.
Isn't enough that I ruined a pony, making a gift for you?
You haven't been to a Radio Shack lately, have you? They have almost nothing.
"You've got questions, we've got Blank Stares"
Heh.
Somehow, I don't think you would have thought to do that.
From the Onion: Even CEO Can't Figure Out How Radio Shack Still In Business
We figured out a long time ago that it's easier to elect seven judges than to elect 132 legislators.
I, for one, welcome our new super-cool laser-wielding awesome robotic overlords.
I'm in between insightful sigs right now...
that the newest batch of CD players won't be hot enough to reveal the secret disc art on NIN's new CD?
Support NYCountryLawyer RIAA vs People
Of course it's going to do both at once! That's all the power goes to, is generating heat.
I can't wait for my laser-beam eyes!
All you people who wonder how one could have missed something so obvious, well, it isn't obvious. Firstly, what actually happens inside a solid-state laser is an absolute pain to work out rigorously. The quantum mechanics involved is sufficiently complicated that the preferred method of finding a good lasing material is pretty much trial and error. You are talking about systems where adding a few fractions of a percent of impurities changes the energy levels, and consequentially the physical properties of your semi-conductor. Changing the temperature at which you grow your silicon crystal, or at what rate you cool it, or how you add the doping material, or weather the moon is in the seventh phase, can have implications for how these things work. You are dealing with processes that occur at nanometer length scales, where you can't just fit things together using a bit of duct tape and a can of WD40 ( tho don't quote me on that, because it is just far too likely that someone crazy enough will find a way to use WD40 in a laser ).
What I'm trying to say is that sticking a diode to your home made radio circuit is one thing, finding a way to do it to a laser based on an ultra-pure silicon crystal, which changes its behavior if you do anything more severe than to think about it is hard (and keep in mind, this is QM we are talking about, chances are thinking about it does in fact kill the cat... ). My experience with solid state physics is rather limited, but I know one thing. It sure as hell isn't obvious... (If you doubt it, go look up the explanation for why gallium arsenide makes better photo voltaic cells than silicon).