The novel laser belongs to a class ...

The novel laser belongs to a class of high-performance semiconductor lasersknown as quantum cascade (QC) lasersthat were invented at Bell Labs in 1994 QC lasers are made by way of stacking many ultrathin atomic layers of standard semiconductor materials (such as those used in photonics) onward top of one another, abundant like a club sandwich.

By varying the thickness of the layers, it is possible to good the particular wavelength at which a QC laser will emit light, allowing scientists to custom design a laser. When an electric present flows through a QC laser, electron cascade down an mechanical value staircase, and ...