Unlike items from the garden, the search for organic lasers is a matter of lowering production costs, rather than producing a healthy diet. Bell Labs, the research arm of Lucent, a few weeks ago announced that it has developed the first electrically powered organic laser, a breakthrough that may lead to more widespread use of lasers in various applications, including communications equipment. But don't get too excited.
Commercial applications are still years away.
The scientists at Bell Labs grew high-quality benzene crystals to form a molecule called tetracene. This is a very pure and clear crystal that conducts electricity extremely well. When the researchers injected electric current to excite the tetracene to emit light, the light bounced back and forth between mirrors in the material, eventually producing beams of intense yellow-green light. The biggest benefit of organic lasers is that the material is much cheaper than inorganic semiconductor materials such as gallium arsenide, which is used in lasers today. Previously, researchers had thought organic materials would never be able to carry the high electrical currents needed for lasers, the Bell Labs scientists say.