Australian scientists develop world's first all-carbon plasma laser

Scientists at Monash University in Australia have developed the world's first plasma laser made entirely of carbon-based materials. The technology promises to revolutionize the form factor of electronics while increasing the speed of operation. In the future, mobile phones that are as thin and soft as business cards can even be printed directly on clothes. According to the report, the plasmon laser, known as the surface plasmon nanolaser (spaser), is actually a highly efficient nano-light source. It can emit light beams through the vibration of free electrons without requiring electromagnetic waves and taking up huge space like conventional lasers. Whereas conventional lasers operate by amplifying photons, plasma lasers do so by amplifying surface plasmons. The use of plasmons could make it faster and smaller than conventional lasers, enabling ultra-high-resolution imaging and miniaturized optical circuits. According to some studies, this circuit is hundreds of times faster than the current fastest silicon-based circuit. Monash University's School of Electronic and Computer Systems Engineering (ECSE) Dr Gailupasingha, who led the research, said carbon-based plasma lasers would also offer additional advantages over semiconductor plasma lasers. 'Currently conventional plasmonic lasers are mostly made of metal nanoparticles such as gold and silver and semiconductor quantum dots, while our device is composed of graphene resonators and carbon nanotube gain elements,' said Gailupasingha. Using carbon It means that this laser is more efficient, softer and more portable, can work at high temperatures, and is more environmentally friendly. Based on these characteristics, it is expected to make miniature mobile phones that can be directly printed on clothes in the future. Antennas, electrical conductors and waveguides were tested.' The new study also demonstrated for the first time that graphene and carbon nanotubes can interact and transfer energy through light. This light-based conduction, which is extremely fast and energy-efficient, is especially useful for making computer chips. Because of their extremely excellent mechanical, electrical and optical properties, as well as excellent thermally stable materials that can withstand high temperatures, graphene and carbon nanotubes are fully capable of many efficient and lightweight applications. High-speed chips based on this technology can be used to replace currently widely used transistor-based devices such as microprocessors, memories, and displays. New technologies can easily break through the miniaturization and bandwidth bottlenecks that silicon-based materials currently face. In addition to applications in the computer field, the laser is also expected to have applications in cancer radiotherapy, said Gailupasingha. Combined with nano-labeling technology, the high-intensity electric fields generated by graphene and carbon nanotubes can separate cancer cells. Break without damaging healthy cells. In addition, the technology can also be used in molecular detection and high-sensitivity biomedical testing.