SPIE - Education Today's Commercial Lasers SC368

Lasers are becoming increasingly important in our high-technology environment. Many technicians and engineers who sell, install, operate, and maintain them have limited training in the field of electro-optics. The result can be less efficient usage of these important tools. This five part series presents the fundamental operating principles of lasers in an intuitive, non-mathematical manner. Part 5 of the series provides examples of different kinds of lasers such as: semiconductor lasers, solid state lasers, and gas lasers and discusses their applications. Lasers are becoming increasingly important in our high-technology environment. Many technicians and engineers who sell, install, operate, and maintain them have limited training in the field of electro-optics. The result can be less efficient usage of these important tools. This five part series presents the fundamental operating principles of lasers in an intuitive, non-mathematical manner. Part 5 of the series provides examples of different kinds of lasers such as: semiconductor lasers, solid state lasers, and gas lasers and discusses their applications.