Researchers at the
"We have shown that the transistor laser, even in its early state of development, is capable of room-temperature operation at a speed of three gigahertz," said Nick Holonyak Jr., a John Bardeen Chair Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physics at
Room-temperature transistor lasers "could facilitate faster signal processing, large capacity seamless communications, and higher performance electrical and optical integrated circuits," said Milton Feng, the Holonyak Chair Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at
The
Room-temperature operation is ultimately required for large-scale commercial applications, said Holonyak. "If this device operated only at low temperature, nobody would want it, except as a laboratory curiosity or for very limited applications."
After the demonstration of the first semiconductor laser (as well as the first practical light-emitting diode) in 1962, "it took the effort of many people eight years to get the diode laser to operate at room temperature," Holonyak said. "Then it took an additional two years to make it reliable. But the big payoff has only now just begun, after more than 40 years of additional work."
In comparison, it has taken the
"The transistor laser is still a primitive, laboratory device that will require a lot more work," Holonyak said. "Eventually, optimising the design and fabrication will result in higher speed laser operation and improved performance, as well as a naturally advantageous way to realise electronic-photonic integrated circuits."
Milton Feng and Nick Holonyak, Jr
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