Traditional high-power lasers are bulky and require equipment that can be used on portable platforms. Engineers at the University of Texas at Arlington in Arlington are working to develop a semiconductor laser that solves these problems. The high-energy laser pointer joint technical office launched a five-year, multi-disciplinary research project with an investment of 3 million US dollars to develop compact, efficient and scalable high-power semiconductor lasers. Professor Zhou Weidong of the Department of Electrical Engineering is the main researcher . Currently, Professor Zhou Weidong is collaborating with professors at the University of New Mexico, Stanford University and the Air Force Research Laboratory.
Semiconductor lasers use resonant cavities to generate feedback from reflections and eventually emit light from the surface of the laser. Lasers have become an important tool to promote the next generation of innovative technologies, and revenue is expected to exceed US $ 10 billion in 2016. However, there are still challenges to reducing laser power to kilowatts and megawatts while maintaining excellent beam quality and having high energy efficiency and compact size. The research team will rely on the principles and structure of nanotechnology to achieve high-power lasers with scalable power.
“We have been studying various aspects of lasers, especially in areas where high-power infrared lasers are urgently needed, such as military, manufacturing, and security, and how to respond to the major challenges related to these applications. If we succeed in creating semiconductor lasers based on nanotechnology We can greatly reduce the size of these lasers while increasing their power and efficiency. “Professor Zhou Weidong said.
The lasers studied in this project can eventually be built on semiconductor wafers. The control electronics and packaging required to operate the laser can increase its size to the size of a computer, which is much smaller than current laser operation packages. Part of the potential applications for these lasers are precision laser cutting and 3D processing that can be run on desktop machines, without the need to occupy most of the room and automatic green laser pointer radar sensing machines. Smaller platforms will also be more cost-effective.
Zhou Weidong is a member of the International Optical Engineering Society. He has published more than 300 journal publications and conference introductions. In 2004, he ended his short industrial career and joined UTA. He has been the main researcher who has funded research projects totaling nearly US $ 8 million. Since 2004, he has involved more than 40 projects with a total value of over US $ 20 million.
The Department of Electrical Engineering is an integral part of the UTA College of Engineering and is the third largest department in Texas, with an enrollment rate of more than 7,200 people. The Dean of the School of Engineering praised Zhou Weidong ’s innovation as a model for the university ’s efforts to promote global environmental impact in the “2020 Strategic Plan: Global Impact Strategic Plan”