Research finds colour gives cheaper lasers

An optoelectronics company is set to revolutionise the laser market. Driven by the worldwide demand for inexpensive lasers, British firm Stratophase is targeting a range of markets, from missile jamming to bacterial detection, through developing new ways to create, control and change the colour of light.

Stratophase was formed by a team led by Dr Peter Smith, with the aim of commercialising research achieved at Southampton University's Optoelectronics Research Centre.

This technology allows the production of higher performance, low cost lasers and optically integrated circuits.

Stratophase can engineer optical crystals to convert the "˜unusable' light from low-cost lasers into a rainbow of high intensity colours, cutting the cost of high quality laser sources.

The implications of this technology — known as periodic poling — affect fields as diverse as medicine, telecoms and even next-generation DVD players.

The development of optical circuit boards allows the company to integrate many optical functions into smaller, faster, more robust packages, just like silicon chips. These miniaturised optical systems enable the manufacture of tiny medical diagnostic tools that use lasers to analyse blood.

Other applications of this versatile technology include sensors, telecoms and avionics.

The company's product range includes frequency conversion solutions for output wavelengths anywhere between 450 nm to 7 µm and this is achieved by using the non linear optical properties of periodically-poled lithium niobate (PPLN).

Shorter wavelengths can be realised through using similar techniques in periodically-poled lithium tantalate, allowing frequency conversion to the ultraviolet.

A key advantage of the frequency modification is its high conversion efficiency, up to 80%, allowing compact laser systems with lower power consumption.

The flexible nature of the periodic poling process allows Stratophase to individually tailor frequency conversion solutions to specific customer requirements; as such the company is in a position to offer a complete service from individual crystals to complete wavelength conversion systems.