I-Corps: Path Towards Commercialization of High-Power Tunable Mid- to far-IR Lasers using Novel Two-Color VECSEL

University Of Arizona, Tucson AZ

Investigators

Abstract

This project plans to develop a new class of high-power, compact, widely-tunable mid- to far-IR laser source. The team's approach is based on an intracavity collinear difference frequency generation (DFG) design in a two-chip vertical external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL). Access to the VECSELs' high-Q intracavity circulating power at two different wavelengths with orthogonal polarization will provide efficient type-II DFG. The success of this work can have a significant impact on the development of compact, high-power mid-IR and far-IR sources and will cover various disciplines in optical science. By expanding on the basic VECSEL design, the proposed laser has great potential to efficiently generate any desired wavelength in the 3-300 micron range. This is important since in the next few years new military, medical, and sensing applications are expected to greatly expand the market potential for long wavelength laser sources. The proposed mid-IR source has the potential to impact various fields of science and engineering, as well as in generate new products benefiting the ecosystem. By expanding on the basic VECSEL design, the proposed laser has great potential to efficiently generate any desired wavelength in the 3-300 micron range. The discoveries made within the scope of this program could have a transformative impact on a wide range of applications. Applications in biomedical, atmospheric monitoring, chemical sensing, and national defense could all benefit from advancements in mid- to far-IR lasers sources. In fact, in addition to the application-rich mid-IR, the proposed concept can be extended to the untapped spectral regions in the far-IR providing even more opportunities in the near future. collected in non-model species. This new approach opens the door for highly efficient surveys of genetic variation across diverse species. The innovation developed in this proposal has the potential to advance biodiversity research by releasing two major bottlenecks: limited availability of genetic markers in non-model systems and low sample throughput. Anchored enrichment may also open the door for a new high-throughput mining approach to pharmaceutical discovery and increased efficiency of insecticides for agriculture applications.