Japanese engineers increase power of semiconductor laser 10 times so it can cut metal

Japanese experts have been able to increase the power of a semiconductor laser by an order of magnitude. It is now capable of cutting metal.

Here's What We Know

Researchers in the Land of the Rising Sun have developed technology to scale up a photonic-crystal surface-emitting laser (PCSRL). The power was increased from 5 W to 50 W, which was sufficient for cutting metal.

Modern PCSEL photonic crystal lasers have a small emitting surface area. It is as small as 1 mm in size. The structure consists of a semiconductor sheet with gauge holes.

Japanese engineers have spent several years making sure that light from a large area does not lose focus. In addition, they were able to solve the thermoregulation problem. To do this, regular oval holes were integrated into the semiconductor sheet.

The researchers eventually created a PCSEL laser with a size of 3 mm. Scientists believe that in future they will be able to develop identical lasers with a size of up to 10 mm and increase the power to 1 MW. But even the current 50W is enough to use lasers for metalworking, which will reduce the cost of laser machines.

Source: Spectrum