Introduction to commonly used laser application technologies!

‘What are lasers used for?’ And what kind of light is it in the first place?’

In fact, lasers are used in familiar objects.

So in this article, you will learn the basics about lasers and how they are used in society.

Later in the article, the history and etymology of the word laser is also discussed.

Let’s take a look at it.

Contents

1 A laser is a light that meets certain requirements.
2 How is laser application technology used in society?
3 History of lasers
4 Summary

A laser is a light that meets certain requirements.

Light rays in prism. Ray rainbow spectrum dispersion optical effect in glass prism. Educational physics vector background. Illustration of prism spectrum light and rainbow refraction

A laser is simply a light that travels in a straight line and has a constant wavelength.

You might think that all light travels in a straight line. However, the properties of laser and other types of light are slightly different.

In familiar terms, it would be the difference between a laser pointer and the image of a room light.

A laser pointer emits a red light that travels straight ahead, whereas a room light emits light radially to illuminate the whole room.

To get a little more technical, lasers have the following characteristics.

・Single wavelength.

・Directional and straight forward.

・Phase-aligned and hypercoherent.

・High concentration of energy

Although laser technology appears difficult at first glance, it is actually used in familiar places.

How is laser application technology used in society?

Laser technology has many applications in society.

For example, ‘barcode readers’, ‘Blu-ray recorders’ and ‘LASIK surgery’.

Barcode readers used in warehouses, etc.

Laser technology is also often used in barcode readers used for stock control in warehouses.

In fact, the mechanism differs from the barcode readers in supermarket checkouts, with the ‘CCD method’ generally used in checkouts and the ‘laser method’ mainly used in stand-alone barcode readers used in warehouses.

The CCD system has a high reading speed, while the laser system can read a wide range of barcode labels and objects at a distance.

Blu-ray/DVD players, games consoles, etc.

Laser technology is also used in Blu-ray, DVD and games consoles such as PS5.

The information stored on the disc is read using laser technology.

CDs use infrared lasers, DVDs use red lasers and Blu-rays use blue lasers.

Blue has a shorter wavelength and as a result it can read more information.

As an aside, film works and laser technology have had a very long association, as in the past there was a video medium called ‘laser disc’ and more recently laser technology has been used in ‘IMAX’ cinema.

LASIK

Lasers are also used in LASIK, an eye surgery.

LASIK surgery is mainly performed as a treatment for people with myopia, and laser light is used to thin out the cornea..

So lasers are also contributing to the medical sector.

laser marker

As the name suggests, laser markers are devices that can print using a laser.

Some familiar items include boxes of sweets, ballpoint pens with names and engraving on phone cases, where laser markers are also used.

A decade ago, they were also used for digging in videotapes (VHS).

Depending on the type of laser marker, there are different methods such as ‘print surface peeling’, ‘surface layer peeling’ and ‘colouring’, which allow printing on a variety of materials such as paper, wood, plastic and leather.

These laser markers also have a wide range of uses, including welding and cutting applications, depending on the type.

Recently, some 3D printers have a laser module attached to them, and some 3D printers can be used for ‘laser engraving’.

*Most 3D printers are not capable of cutting.

History of lasers

The foundations of laser technology date back to 1917.

There is a phenomenon called ‘induced emission’, which is the basis of laser operation, and it was discovered by that ‘Einstein’.

After several inventions and theorizations, the name ‘laser’ was given in 1959.

In fact, laser is an abbreviation.

・Light

・Amplification by

・Stimulated

・Emission of

・Radiation

The name actually has a meaning.

The following year, in 1960, practical laser prototypes were built, leading to today’s laser technology.

Summary

In this article, we talked about lasers.

Finally, let’s summarize.

Laser is light that meets certain requirements.

Lasers are used in ‘some barcode readers’, ‘Blu-ray recorders’, ‘LASIK surgery’ and ‘laser markers’.

LASIK has been a practical technology in development since 1960.

References site