New Nano-Laser Created

Many sources are reporting that researchers have created the world's smallest laser since the inception of lasers almost a half-century ago. Dubbed "spasers," as an acronym for "surface plasmon amplification by stimulated emission of radiation," their incredibly tiny size could become a critical component for future technologies like "nanophotonic" circuitry. "Such circuits will require a laser-light source, but current lasers can't be made small enough to integrate them into electronic chips. Now researchers have overcome this obstacle, harnessing clouds of electrons called 'surface plasmons,' instead of the photons that make up light, to create the tiny spasers."

Comments

Re:Words

[MadAnalyst]

It is a widely accepted term in the field, well known to certain physicists/chemists. But Google might help you learn something new.

VCSELs

[Anonymous Coward]

"but current lasers can't be made small enough to integrate them into electronic chips."

Yeah, except VCSELs have been around since the 80s. They are definitely small enough to integrate into an electronic chip, and they have been for quite some time.

Re:Wake me when they have something in production.

[hansraj]

damn it! I mistakenly modded you redundant (I was going for insightful). Replying to undo the mod and to earn some off-topic mods probably :(

Parses and functions fine for me.

[Ungrounded Lightning]

Many sources are reporting that researchers have created the world's smallest laser since the inception of lasers almost a half-century ago.

How necessary is the end of that statement? Were they worried someone might assume a smaller laser had been created before the inception of lasers?

That formulation parses and functions for me.

It's a compact way of saying:
  - Lasers were invented almost a century ago.
  - Since then there has been a continuing series of inventions of progressively smaller lasers.
  - And with each of these inventions the inventor and/or the media went into a hype frenzy about the latest "world's smallest laser"
  - But there's something special about this one ...

And there is: It's the first one where the resonator (a size-limiting component) is MUCH smaller than a quarter-wavelength of the resonant frequency light.

And, as somebody who worked in a laser lab back in the late '60s and with cutting-edge semiconductors these days, I can attest that this little device is a BIG DEAL (TM).

I expect the next step - an electrically-pumped version - in a year or less. Followed by one that can be grown epitaxially on a wafer and hooked to a waveguide that's also built by stock chip manufacturing techniques. And that's the point where you switch to optics - first for getting signals on and off the chip (a BIG power eater), eventually maybe for getting signals around the chip.

Unless something BETTER comes along before then. (Which is the REAL reason most of these breakthroughs never make production.)

Re:insead of cirtuit trace?

[tenco]

Couldn't read the articles because i don't have an account there. But the abstracts look interesting: http://www.opticsinfobase.org/ol/abstract.cfm?uri=ol-30-13-1710 http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/440892722-27397378/content~content=a911227137~db=all~jumptype=rss http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/EUM0000000004246 and there seem to be already patents on manufacturing these integrated optic curcuits: http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/4400052/claims.html