Collimating Semiconductor Lasers Without Lenses

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers at Harvard University and Hamamatsu Photonics have found a way to collimate lasers without lenses. In the new 'plasmonic collimator' technique, grooves are etched directly into the semiconductor laser's internal mirror. This results in surface plasmons giving rise to constructive interference, eliminating the need for the bulky optical lenses that usually focus the light from semiconductor lasers. The technique has promise for steering laser beams without moving parts and for working with polarized light."

Comments

Homeland security?

[Oh no, it's Dixie]

The researchers claimed that if they can achieve a fully collimated laser, it will lower the cost of communications lasers by eliminating the need for lenses while enabling long-range chemical sensing. The latter could be used for homeland security and environmental monitoring applications.

I don't remember laser sensors being a pressing need for defense of the motherland. Am I downplaying the risks here? I can only imagine that cheaper components will make total surveillance even easier.

Re:It may be very cool

[dgatwood]

Amazing. A reference to a relatively mindless comedy (Austin Powers) gets modded up, while a reference to a really good geek movie (Real Genius) gets modded down as off topic. *sigh* Kids with mod points, I tell ya.... Bets on whether the person who modded the parent down had been born yet when this movie came out? :-)

Re:Translation:

[f8l_0e]

I don't know what's more sad.

1. Someone dumbing down a tech article for the slashdot crowd to read.

2. Said post getting modded up as informative.

Welcome to the new slashdot. Striving to be more like FOX news every day.

The article called. Wishes you would read it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Exactly which part of “steering laser beams without moving parts” escaped your understanding?

Re:Disc size reader?

[gmack]

From the article:The researchers claimed that the plasmonic collimator effect is similar to the way phased-array antennas steer a beam, creating the possibility of steering laser beams with no moving parts.

Re:A more simple solution

[sm62704]

Translation: instead of a conventional curved lens, they use a fresnel lens. This allows them to carve the lens directly into the laser, make it flat, and possibly tune it.

You're at slashdot, where occasionally you're going to run into some articles that are writen at a postgraduate level instead of the eighth grade level sanity would logically insist on.

I once read a paper that used the word "enumerate" five times in a single paragraph, and didn't once use the word "count". The submitter could have communicated rather than obfuscated, but then he wouldn't have looked so smart.

The secret to reading postgrad level writing is look up any words you don't understand. The when you're done reading, read it again.