lasers: advancing security, health, and justice · chemistry for life advancing the science and...

Congressional BriefingNovember 30, 2010

Dr. Thomas M. BaerOSA President 2009Executive Director

Lasers: Advancing Security, Health, and Justice

Science of Chemistry & Light

Chemistry for lifeAdvancing the Science

And Technology of Light

LaserFest 2010

Honor Educate Inspire Promote

LaserFest 2010 Partners

Lasers in Chemical Analysis

• Brightness– Detect signals against a bright background

• Pure wavelength– Excite specific colored objects

• Collimation– Project a beam over long distances

• Focusable– Probe small objects

• High energy – Vaporize samples

Lasers in Telecom and Information Technology: Internet E‐commerce Personal Computers

Fred Schlachter1 and Thomas Baer2

1. American Physical Society and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory2. Stanford Photonics Research Center, Stanford University

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Real-time two-way communication: Lasers and fiber optics have greatly increased the speed of real-time communication.

Ancient times through 19th century 20th century 21st centuryInformation transmitted by smoke and fire Electrons through copper wires Laser light through fiber optics

Visual information carried over 100 km distance with very low bandwidth.

RATE ~ 1 character/10 sec

Time to transmit the Gettysburg Address: four hours

Electrons carry information through copper wire over 1000s km with moderate bandwidths.

RATE~100 characters/sec

Time to transmit the Gettysburg Address: ten seconds

High-bandwidth communication using infrared lasers and fiber optics to guide the light.

RATE~10 billion characters/seca million times faster than copper wire

Time to transmit the Gettysburg Address: 100 nanoseconds

Lasers in information storage: CDs and DVDs

A case study in enabling technology:The invention of the laser spurred development of many applications. Diode lasers have an annual impact on the U.S. market of more than $200 billion.

In 2010, 500 million infrared diode lasers will

be produced

Basic research:

Laser invented in 1960

For example: CDROM/DVD

Optical disk drives$3 billion

Optical drives incorporated into

personal computers$60 billion

Watchtower Fire Smoke signals

Smoke

Vintage telephone switchboardLaser

Early laser

Laser

Laser disk drive

The laser in 1960 was deemed: “A solution looking for a problem”

These lasers power many different instruments.

Laser instruments are built into larger systems

Microelectronics: Lasers produce almost all microprocessors and memory chips in personal computers.

UV Lasers in Photolithography

Pulsed lasers in redundant memory repair

Microprocessor10 Billion CPUs Produced in 2008

Memory Chip$20 Billion in 2009

Lasers print the vast majority of IC circuits in the $260 Billion micro electronics industry

Laser make cars stronger, safer lighter and cheaper.

Courtesy of Tim Morris at TRUMPF Inc

Engine Clutch

Gear box

WheelHub

Differential gears

Lasers make hundreds of parts for a modern car.

• weld seat frames

• harden torsion springs

• mark parts

• cut and weld airbags

• weld antilock brakes

• cut body parts

• drill holes in fuel injectors

Driveshaft

Automobile sales in US: $200 billion

Lasers in the Automotive Industry: Making light work in heavy industry

Present Day Commercial Applications of the Laser

In 50 years the laser moves from “a solution looking for a problem”, to a key technology which enables major sectors of the US economy.

Laser devices are the core technology in instruments performing vital functions in many industries including transportation, healthcare, and telecom.

May 16, 1960

Ted Maiman demonstratesthe first ruby laser.

Hughes Research Laboratory

19901970 1980 20001960

May 16, 1960

Ted Maiman demonstratesthe first ruby laser.

Hughes Research Laboratory

Lasers: Advancing Security, Health and Justice

• Jose AlmirallInternational Forensic Research Institute, Florida State UniversityLasers for CBRNE Detection

• Steve RehseWayne State UniversityLasers for Identifying/Characterizing Pathogens in Food/Beverages

• Edward “Chip” PollockSacramento County District Attorney Laboratory of Forensic ServicesCrime Lab as an "End-User" of Lasers for Forensics

• Richard HarkJuniata CollegeLasers for First Responders

Boltzman

Lamb Townes

Schawlow

Bloembergen

Bloch Gould

Prokorov

Basov JavanEinstein

LadenburgBohrPlanckMaxwell

Sorokin

Kroemer

Tolman

Robert Hall

Quantum Physics Pre-Laser Era Maser Era Laser Era

Alverov

Maiman

192019101800s 1900 1930 1940 1950 19901970 19801960

Classical Physics Era

Kastler



Scientific Ancestry of the Laser

Fabrikant

Boltzman

Lamb

Bloch

Einstein

LadenburgBohrPlanckMaxwell

Tolman

Quantum Physics Pre-Laser Era

192019101800s 1900 1930 1940

Classical Physics Era

Lasers

Semiconductors

Nuclear Energy

Quantum Mechanics - Generated Technologies

Lasers: Advancing Security, Health and Justice

• Jose AlmirallInternational Forensic Research Institute, Florida State UniversityLasers for CBRNE Detection

• Steve RehseWayne State UniversityLasers for Identifying/Characterizing Pathogens in Food/Beverages

• Edward “Chip” PollockSacramento County District Attorney Laboratory of Forensic ServicesCrime Lab as an "End-User" of Lasers for Forensics

• Richard HarkJuniata CollegeLasers for First Responders

A Major 20th Century Invention

Number of Patent Abstracts and Titles Including Keywordsas of 8/14/08

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

Engin

eCo

mpu

ter

Lase

rTr

ansis

tor

Integ

rate

d circ

uitTe

lepho

ne Jet

Telev

ision

Micr

opro

cesso

r

Inter

net

Refri

gera

tor

Ster

eoVa

cuum

tube

Fiber

optic

s

Issued US Laser Patents vs. Time

Issued US Laser Patents per 2 Year Period

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

1972

1974

1976

1978

1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

E

Lasers in Medicine and Biotechnology: Saving Lives Improving Health Reducing Cost

Precise sterile machining of hard materials



Eye surgery: Lasers improve health and well-being of patients.

Lasers allow ophthalmologists to correct many problems in different locations in the eye, fixing retinas, reshaping corneas, and helping forestall blindness in diabetic patients.

Cornea LASIK

UltravioletLaser

Cataract Surgery

Pulsed InfraredLaser

Retina Reattach

Green LaserDetached retina repaired with laser: Gold-medal Chinese diver Guo Jingiing

Gene sequencing: Lasers power the latest medical diagnostic instruments.1975: 2000 base pairs/day

1990’s: 100,000 base pairs/day Today: two billion base pairs/day

One day’s data would fill one half page in a book. One day’s data would fill a chapter in a book. One day’s data would fill ten encyclopedias.

Pre-laser DNA sequencers (1970’s) could sequence 2000 base pairs per day.

Time to sequence a single human genome: 4000 years.

Today’s laser-based DNA sequencers can sequence two billion base pairs per day.

Time to sequence a single human genome: 1 day.

A million-fold improvement in speed since 1975!

Data

Data

Medical devices: Lasers save lives.

Lasers produce “impossible” micromachined components

Stents

A new lease on life: laser-made stents.

Rapid laser-based sequencing of human genomes opens the door to personalized medicine and individualized therapies.

1990’s laser-based DNA sequencers could sequence 100,000 base pairs per day.

Time to sequence a singlehuman genome: 80 years.

www.helicosbio.com/

Lasers in the Telecommunication Industry

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Ancient times through 19th century 20th century 21st century

Information transmitted by smoke and fire Electrons through copper wires Laser light through fiber optics



Time to transmit the Gettysburg Address: four

hours

Electrons carry information through copper wire over1000s km with moderate bandwidths.


Time to transmit the Gettysburg Address: ten

seconds





Smoke


Lasers in Telecom and Information Technology: Internet E-commerce Personal Computers



--


Ancient times through 19th century 20th century 21st centuryInformation transmitted by smoke and fire Electrons through copper wires Laser light through fiber optics



Time to transmit the Gettysburg Address: four hours

Electrons carry information through copper wire over 1000s km with moderate bandwidths.


Time to transmit the Gettysburg Address: ten seconds




Lasers in information storage: CDs and DVDs

A case study in enabling technology:The invention of the laser spurred development of many applications. Diode lasers have an annual impact on the U.S. market of more than $200 billion.

In 2010, 500 million infrared diode lasers will

be produced

Basic research:

Laser invented in 1960

For example: CDROM/DVD

Optical disk drives$3 billion

Optical drives incorporated into

personal computers$60 billion


Smoke


Early laser

Laser

Laser disk drive

The laser in 1960 was deemed: “A solution looking for a problem”

These lasers power many different instruments.

Laser instruments are built into larger systems

Microelectronics: Lasers produce almost all microprocessors and memory chips in personal computers.

UV Lasers in Photolithography

Pulsed lasers in redundant memory repair

Microprocessor10 Billion CPUs Produced in 2008

Memory Chip$20 Billion in 2009

Lasers print the vast majority of IC circuits in the $260 Billion micro electronics industry

What Would Happen if all Lasers Stopped Working?

• April 9 all telecommunications ceased– Land lines– Mobile phones– Internet– Emergency 911 calls

• All financial transactions stopped– No credit card approval

• No manual systems as alternatives– No ATM access: No Cash!– No bank record access

• Automated traffic lights stopped working!

Solar Energy

TelecommunicationsInformation Technology

Medical ImagingBiotechnology

Basic Research

The Global Impact of Lasers

lasers: advancing security, health, and justice · chemistry for life advancing the science and...

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