I am a final year Product design student and i need help with my major. I am doing a medical device that uses quantum cascade laser technology to take readings of the patient.

 

I am trying to find someone who might tell me what a quantum cascade laser consists of and what components are required to power such a laser? Also, metaphorically speaking could this technology be reduced to the size of a device such as a mobile phone? Sorry i haven't given to much away but spies are every where!

 

If anyone could assist me and get back to me, then i would be extremely grateful.

If spies are everywhere posting it publically on the Internet may not be the best option!

 

To power one all you need is some electricity!

 

Right, onto what they actually are, it basically involves many electrons dropping into lower energy states and in the process releasing a photon (light). The advantage of this design is that it allows much more powerful lasers.

 

A quantum cascade (QC) laser is similar to a current/normal laser except inside it works a bit differently. There are no lasers in mobile phones at the moment so QC laser development has no direct meaning/effect to mobile phones... unless someone is designing a new type of mobile using lasers.

 

Here's a great site about QC lasers:

http://www.bell-labs.com/org/physicalsciences/projects/qcl/qcl.html

Hey,

 

I'll take the risk to sound commercial here. I am from cascade technologies, a company dedicated to develop commercial applications around the integration of QC lasers.

 

We have developped scientif instrumentation to pulse and drive QC lasers, should you be interested, please visit http://www.ctscientific.com

 

As far as a cellphone size instrument is concerned, this is to happen within a few years, but there's still a lot of work to be done. Please also check the competition (daylight solutions, Laser components, neoplas...sorry for the other I forgot to mention), they are developping similar instruments based on different aprroaches.

 

I hope this will help.

 

yann