Diode laser as an alternative to LED

LASER is an acronym of the English language, translated, stands for Controlled Emission of Radiation of Light. The diode laser is a laser in which the active component is a semiconductor similar to those employed in the production of LED (Light Emitting Diode).

A diode laser is defined as "a laser formed from a tube inside which there are two mirrors. Introducing the whole of the cavity, with a certain energy, photons of coherent light, these are reflected from one mirror to another, gaining energy at each reflection. Being one of the semitransparent mirrors, let the light beam only when this exceeds a certain level of energy.

Therefore, when the radiation of photons inside the tube has reached sufficient energy, this exceeds the semitransparent mirror and is presented in output in the form of a beam much reduced in cross section, but has a great energy: the laser beam. The distance between the two mirrors must have a particular value, more specifically must be an exact multiple of the wavelength of the beam, or (which is the same thing), the frequency of emission of the photons. The conditions necessary to ensure that it produces the photon radiation are determined by the material which acts as a radiation source. The atoms of the radiating material must, therefore, have a structure such as to allow the electrons jump easily from one energy level to another as they are invested by an external energy field.

The phenomenon that it follows, as we have already seen, is that electrons forced into higher energy levels have a tendency to recover their initial state, generating the photon radiation that is used to create the laser beam final "

For the simplicity of modulation required (which is similar to that used in LED), the important radiation density that characterizes them and their size, the laser diode have allowed rapid progress of technologies for fast transfer of information, fostering the development Readers of the compact disc and laser printers.

The applications of the laser diodes are continuously increasing species in the industrial field where they are used for hardening, drilling, welding and milling of different materials. Recent research has demonstrated their competitiveness with LEDs for residential and commercial lighting solutions.

The LEDs are considered as substitutes to more energy-efficient incandescent bulbs, but they sin in efficiency at currents above 0.5 amps. The laser diode, on the contrary, its performance improves at higher currents, which means that it can provide more light LED high ampere making it preferable. Surely the loss of the LED to switch to the laser diode will not be immediate because of the cost and not easy reproducibility of the laser light. In fact, the warm white light diode laser beloved by consumers was created with many difficulties thanks to a combination of four laser beams - yellow, blue, green and red.

We'll see any commercial applications, but the laser diodes seem to represent an interesting border research in the field of domestic lighting.

 

02/11/2011

 

----------------------------------------

Translated via software

----------------------------------------

 

Source:

Italian version of CercaGeometra.it