Printable lasers developed at University of Cambridge
1 min read
University of Cambridge researchers have created a way to print lasers using everyday inkjet technology, which could have applications in biomedical testing and laser arrays for displays.
The process involves developing lasers based on chiral nematic liquid crystals (LCs), similar to the materials used in flat panel lcd displays.
If aligned properly, the helix shaped structure of the LC molecules can act as an optically resonant cavity, which after adding a fluorescent dye, can then be optically excited to produce laser light.
Until now, high quality LC lasers have been produced by filling a thin layer of LC material between two accurately spaced glass plates a hundredth of a millimetre wide. The glass is covered with a specially prepared polymer coating to align the LC molecules. This typically involves multiple, intricate production steps.
The Cambridge team used a custom inkjet system to print hundreds of small dots of LC materials on to a substrate covered with a wet polymer solution layer. As the polymer solution dries, the chemical interaction and mechanical stress cause the LC molecules to align and turn the printed dots into individual lasers.
The researchers believe that this process can form lasers on virtually any surface and can potentially be applied using existing printing and publishing equipment.
The process has been developed initially to produce compact, tuneable laser sources and high resolution laser displays, but can also be used to print fluorescence tag based 'lab on a chip' arrays used in biology and medicine.
The researchers say that by being able to put lasers virtually anywhere, the potential applications are 'limited only by imagination'.
