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Customized inkjet printing of lasers
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Customized ink jet printers used to make printable lasers.
Away of printing lasers using everyday inkjet technology has been created by scientists at the University of Cambridge. The development has a wide range of possible applications, ranging from biomedical testing to laser arrays for display
A laser is a characteristically “pure” form of light, occupying a very narrow wavelength range, or colour. Laser devices are already ubiquitous in modern life; they are used to read data from Blu-Ray discs and deliver high-speed internet around the world, for example. In science and technology, lasers are similarly versatile – being employed for a wide range of purposes such as medical treatment and testing, or space-based remote sensing.
Today, most lasers are made on silicon wafers using expensive processes similar to those used to make microprocessors. However, scientists have now designed a process to “print” a type of organic laser on any surface, using technology very similar to that used in the home.
The process involves developing lasers based on chiral nematic liquid crystals (LCs), similar to the materials used in flat-panel LCD displays. These are a unique class of photonic materials that, under the right conditions, can be stimulated to produce laser emissions.
Soft Matter journal article –
Printed photonic arrays from self-organized chiral nematic liquid crystals
See more and subscribe to NextBigFuture at 2012-09-20 13:52:58 Source: http://nextbigfuture.com/2012/09/customized-inkjet-printing-of-lasers.html
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