A clever glass trick fixes the decade-old photonic crystal laser problem
SMRTR summary
Engineers at University of Illinois have developed the first room-temperature, eye-safe photopumped PCSEL by embedding silicon dioxide into the photonic crystal layer. This breakthrough overcomes the challenge of air holes collapsing during semiconductor growth, enabling highly directional laser beams for applications like LiDAR and optical communication. The next step is creating an electrically-powered version for real-world use.
SMRTR provides this summary for quick context. The original article belongs to Interesting Engineering.
Read the original article