Intel develops first continuous silicon laser
Researchers at the company’s headoffice in Santa Clara, California recently produced what they claim is the first continuous laser made using silicon - the semiconductor material that forms the basis of most computer chips.
It has long been known that silicon has the ability to amplify light as a result of what is called the Raman Effect. Named after the Indian scientist who discovered it, the Raman Effect occurs when a material is bombarded by infra-red rays. The material’s natural atomic vibrations then act to amplify the light.
This effect is around 10,000 times more powerful in silicon than in the glass crystals conventionally used in lasers. But until recently, scientists have only been able to make pulsing lasers using silicon.
The problem was that free electrons in the silicon were absorbing the light as it was channelled through the material in what is known as the "two-photon absorption" effect. Intel has now solved this problem by creating a semiconductor structure that in essence mops up the free electrons, allowing a continuous stream of light.
One possible application of the silicon lasers could be optical interconnects in circuit boards. These would be much faster than the wires that currently connect board components.
