Phys.org June 29, 2022
A team of researchers in the US (UC Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) created a new type of semiconductor laser, dubbed Berkeley Surface Emitting Lasers (BerkSELs), that can maintain a single mode of emitted light while maintaining the ability to scale up in size and power. The BerkSEL design enabled the single-mode light emission because of the physics of the light passing through the holes in the membrane, a 200-nanometer-thick layer of indium gallium arsenide phosphide. The periodic holes in the membrane became Dirac points. By eliminating the need for external amplification, they could shrink the size and increase the efficiency of computer chips and other components. Such lasers are used in a wide range of applications, including fiber optic communications, computer mice, laser printers and biometric identification systems. BerkSELs can emit different target wavelengths by adapting the design specifications, such as hole size and semiconductor material… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
Schematic of the Berkeley Surface Emitting Laser (BerkSEL) illustrating the pump beam (blue) and the lasing beam (red). Credit: Nature (2022)Â