Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 14-2. Gas Laser Radiation Types
Lasing Gas
Wavelength ( nm )
Radiation Type
Argon-fluoride
193
Ultraviolet
Krypton-fluoride
248
Ultraviolet
Nitrogen
337
Ultraviolet
Argon
488 - 514
Blue or green light
Helium neon
543 - 633
Green or red light
Carbon dioxide
10,600
Infrared
Carbon monoxide
5000
Infrared
Oxygen-iodine
1315
Infrared
Typical uses for gas lasers include industrial drilling and cutting applications. Because of
their potential to generate high power output levels, many lasers used for military applications
are gas lasers.
Dye Lasers
Dye lasers use an organic dye in a liquid solution as the lasing material. Depending on the dye
used, dye lasers can emit light over a broad range of wavelengths. An example of a dye laser is
a Rhodamine 6G dye laser that can emit light in the wavelength range of 570-650 nanometers,
which corresponds to green, yellow, or orange light.
Solid-State Lasers
Solid-state lasers employ a solid material as the lasing material. The solid material is generally
a solid rod or slab of crystal imbedded with a small amount of an impurity, called doping, to
facilitate the lasing action. The world's first working laser consisted of a synthetic ruby crystal
that had been augmented, or doped , with chromium ions. The ruby laser was pumped with a
xenon-filled flashtube similar to a camera flash bulb. A ruby solid-state laser emits red light
with a wavelength of 694 nanometers. Another common solid-state laser is the neodymium-Yag
laser that emits an infrared beam with a wavelength of 1064 nanometers.
Semiconductor Lasers
Semiconductor lasers, also called diode lasers, are electronic devices that are generally small
and have low power requirements. Semiconductor lasers are used in laser printers, CD players,
and DVD players. Diode lasers typically emit a red beam with a wavelength ranging from
630-680 nanometers.
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