|
The state of semiconductor
light sources - blue laser diodes and beyond
Noble Johnson , Comdex, November
2002
This article is written by PARC
principal scientist, Noble Johnson, for Comdex Fall
2002.
An excerpt from the article:
" The Palo Alto Research
Center (PARC), a Xerox subsidiary, has been involved
with semiconductor laser development for three
decades, conducting both experimental and theoretical
research in this area. Over the last decade, PARC
has been active in developing blue laser diode
technology. Today, these devices are a technological
reality, with the development of commercial systems
well underway. The first major commercial impact
of blue laser diodes will be seen in high-density
optical storage, such as DVDs, where the shorter
wavelength produces a four-fold increase in storage
capacity. This enables blue-laser-based optical
storage systems to record more than two hours
of video and audio signals in a high-definition
TV format. Other potential applications of blue
laser diodes include high-resolution laser printers
and full-color projection displays. Printers,
much like DVDs, will take advantage of blue light's
shorter wavelength to achieve a smaller spot diameter,
with unchanged diffraction-limited optics. In
addition, the high photon energy of blue laser
diodes will enable new applications for these
inexpensive, compact light sources."
|
 |
|
