Blue Laser

On December 12, 2001, Polish scientists from the High-Pressure Research Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences (CBW PAN) in Warsaw publicly presented a blue semiconductor laser constructed be a team led by Prof. Sylwester Porowski, within the framework of the blue optoelectronics development program.

CBW PAN has thus become the third producer of such equipment in the world, and the second one in Europe. The technology of obtaining singular gallium nitrate crystals, developed at the PAN High-Pressure Research Center, uses ultra high pressure similar to that used in the production of artificial diamonds. Such mono-crystals are the base for construction of a blue light emitting laser. The scientists from Warsaw's PAN High-Pressure Research Center were the first in the world to master the production of gallium nitrate mono-crystal base, characterized by less defects in its crystalline structure than that of heretofore used sapphire, and is more light effective than the silicone carbide.

The Polish research program also foresees further development of optoelectronics, taking into consideration the possibility of using other semiconductors - aluminum, gallium and indium nitrides. Blue light semiconductor sources can eliminate currently used solutions and revolutionize numerous branches of high-tech industry: information technology, telecommunications, medical diagnostics, electronic equipment for the entertainment industry, advertising or environmental monitoring. Blue light semiconductors will facilitate increasing the capacity of CD and DVD disks multi-fold, obtaining very high quality printouts and significantly cheaper light sources, construction of flat television and computer monitors with significantly better parameters.

Of note is also the incomparably lower cost of equipment operation and significantly lower energy consumption. The pioneering achievements of the PAN High-Pressure Research Center team position Poland within ranks of the leading nations producing 21st century technologies.