Paint-on laser brings optical computing closer
April 20, 2006 | Source: NewScientist.com news service
A laser created by simply painting a solution of crystals onto glass could be used to make super-fast computers that use light instead of electricity. The technology could also provide cheap sensors for biomedical and motoring applications.
The researchers made the laser by painting a thin tube of glass with a solution of quantum dots, which produce a laser beam when a “pump” beam of normal light is shined on it.