Every day Before work The red glow of the QR code when paying for breakfast, the smooth, razor‑sharp edge of a smartphone screen, and even the pinpoint beam that precisely reshapes the lens during refractive surgery—all conceal the same beam of light. —— Laser. This beam, which has now slipped into the crevices of our daily lives… “ Artificial Divine Light ” , in fact, from the emergence of the theory to its integration into everyday life, it has traveled 100 Many Year. Today, we’ll gradually unravel this story that spans over a century, and we’ll also discuss what underpins the laser’s remarkable capabilities. “ Behind-the-scenes helper ”—DOE Optical components, as well as the means to enable their mass production and widespread adoption High-Precision Micro- and Nano-Manufacturing Technology— Nanoimprinting Technology 。

The “Centennial Journey” of Laser Development

Time rewound. 19 By the end of the century, the debate over the nature of light had already raged for nearly three hundred years. Newton argued that light consisted of particles, while Huygens maintained that it was a wave—until Maxwell introduced his electromagnetic equations, settling the matter once and for all: light, he showed, is fundamentally an electromagnetic wave. This unification of light, electricity, and magnetism laid the very first theoretical cornerstone for lasers. And just as quantum theory was emerging, it added another crucial layer to this ongoing inquiry. buff ：1900 In that year, Planck proposed the quantization of energy. 1905 That year, Einstein followed this line of reasoning to propose the concept of the photon and also resolved the photoelectric effect, a puzzle that had baffled the scientific community for many years.

Arrived 1917 In that year, Einstein directly proposed the concept of the laser. “ Seed Theory ”— Stimulated emission. Simply put, when a photon strikes an atom in an excited state, it can stimulate the emission of another identical photon, setting off a chain reaction that produces a beam of light with perfectly uniform frequency and direction. But back then, everyone was busy exploring new frontiers in quantum mechanics, and no one believed this theory could ever be turned into a tangible reality—so they waited for forty-three years.

Following World War II, advances in radar technology propelled microwave research to rapid and remarkable progress. 1954 In 1954, American physicist Charles Townes finally broke the ice, building the world’s first microwave maser with his students and achieving stimulated emission amplification in the microwave frequency range. It is said that at the time, a colleague jokingly remarked to him: “ What exactly can this thing do? ” Towns scratched his head, unable to answer, and merely said, “ Anyway, it’s definitely useful. ”。1958 In that year, Townes and Schawlow extended the theory to the visible light spectrum, formally proposing the concept of the laser and instantly igniting a global race among laboratories. —— Everyone wanted to create the first laser in human history and claim the century’s pioneering achievement.

In the end, the one who came out on top was a guy named Meiman. “ Non-mainstream ” The researcher. At the time, the academic community was all optimistic about gas lasers, yet Maiman stubbornly stuck with a ruby crystal. 1960 That summer, he stuffed a ruby into the flash to pump it, and at the moment of ignition, a clear signal appeared on the detector. 694.3 Nanometer red-light pulse —— And so, humanity’s first laser was born—quite by accident. Interestingly, his paper was promptly rejected by Physical Review Letters; the editors dismissed it as a routine experiment with little novelty. Who could have imagined that this brief burst of red light, lasting just a few milliseconds, would usher in an entirely new era of optics?

When lasers were first invented, reporters pestered Maiman, asking what the device could do. After pondering for a long while, he couldn’t articulate any specific applications, and the media even joked that the laser was… “ Unable to find the answer to the question. ” However, scientists soon recognized its enormous potential. Just one year later, the Chinese scientist Charles K. Kao put forward a groundbreaking idea: use glass optical fibers to transmit laser signals, and by eliminating impurities from the glass, it would be possible to achieve low‑loss, long‑distance communication. At the time, most people regarded this as nothing more than a pipe dream. —— Back then, the best glass optical fibers had losses as high as over a thousand decibels per kilometer—how could you even transmit a signal, let alone communicate? Yet Charles K. Kao persevered through more than a decade of painstaking experiments, ultimately reducing the loss to just… per kilometer. 20 Within decibels. Nowadays, in our hands… 5G The household’s gigabit broadband and transoceanic calls all rely on those undersea fiber-optic cables, and Charles K. Kao was awarded for this very contribution. 2009 The Nobel Prize in Physics.

Since then, laser technology has been on a roll, following… “ Super strong ” and “ Ultra-fast ” Two directions, charging ahead all the way. 1985 In that year, Mourou and his student Donna invented chirped pulse amplification: they first stretch the laser pulse in time to reduce its peak power, amplify it, and then compress it back, thereby achieving ultra‑high energy without damaging the optical components, pushing laser power to unprecedented levels. Today, our work on laser‑driven nuclear fusion and extreme‑field physics relies entirely on this technology, and for this breakthrough, the two were awarded… 2018 The Nobel Prize in Physics.

The “commander” behind the laser— DOE

Over the course of more than a century, lasers have long since evolved from rare curiosities in the laboratory into everyday tools around us. “ All-purpose tool ” And behind all of this lies a crucial optical component. ——DOE — that is, diffractive optical elements. Many people have never heard of them, but they are like lasers’… “ Commander ” , enabling precise control over the laser’s propagation direction, energy distribution, and beam profile, allowing the laser to from “ A single beam of light ” Become “ Multifunctional light capable of performing complex tasks ” , plays an irreplaceable role in lasers.

Specifically, DOE Its applications in lasers have long permeated every aspect of our lives. For example, the front-facing camera on our smartphones… 3D During facial recognition, within the projection module... DOE It diffracts the light emitted by the laser into countless speckle patterns, each carrying encoded information. When these speckles are projected onto the face, an algorithm decodes them to generate a depth map, enabling precise identity authentication—this is also… Daily life One of the core enablers of high‑security authentication in payment scenarios.

In the field of industrial laser cutting, DOE It can split a single laser beam into multiple uniform beams, enabling simultaneous processing at multiple workstations—for example, the technology developed by Guoke Guangrui based on… DOE Multi-beam laser pulse deposition equipment, as well as laser array hole‑drilling systems, can significantly increase processing speed. 10 More than double, significantly reducing production costs.

In the field of scientific research, DOE Even more so for scientists. “ Good helper ” In laser‑induced nuclear fusion experiments, it can evenly distribute an ultra‑intense laser beam onto the target material, ensuring the stable progression of the fusion reaction; in the biomedical field, it can focus the laser into a tiny spot, precisely targeting diseased tissue while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy cells; in… AR/VR In devices, it can reduce the size and weight of the optical system, broaden the spectral range, and make the equipment more compact and deliver a superior user experience. In addition, DOE It is also widely used in laser projection, LiDAR, and spectral detection. , aerospace In these fields, thanks to their lightweight and compact form factor, high design flexibility, and excellent diffraction efficiency, they have become a key enabler for the miniaturization and integration of lasers.

And DOE It can move from the laboratory to large-scale mass production, finding its way into our smartphones and factories. 、 Hospital and application scenarios , cannot do without a core element Micro and nano Processing technology —— Nanoimprint lithography.

Simply put, nanoimprint lithography is like stamping in everyday life: first, a pattern is etched onto a template. DOE The required nanoscale complex structure, and then precisely position this structure… “ Embossing ” Once applied to the substrate and subjected to curing, a batch of products can be obtained. DOE The device is easy to operate and highly efficient, while also enabling high-precision replication.

Compared with conventional lithography, nanoimprint lithography fabricates DOE It boasts three major advantages.

First, it is more cost-effective. Traditional lithography requires complex optical systems and expensive light sources, whereas nanoimprint lithography does not need sophisticated equipment; its molds are reusable, enabling… DOE Manufacturing costs have been significantly reduced, making it particularly well-suited for high-volume production scenarios such as consumer electronics.

Secondly, it boasts high precision: nanoimprint lithography is not constrained by the wavelength of the light source or diffraction effects, enabling precise replication of nanoscale feature widths and facilitating the facile fabrication of complex structures with high aspect ratios, thereby perfectly meeting… DOE Stringent requirements for microstructure, and mass production DOE The devices exhibit excellent consistency, with no performance variations.

Finally, with higher efficiency and broader applicability, nanoimprint lithography can replicate complex structures in a single step, eliminating the cumbersome multi‑exposure process of conventional photolithography. It enables large‑area, high‑volume production—for example, it can… 12inch On this platform, batch processing is enabled, supporting various sizes and wavelength bands. DOE Customized requirements; moreover, it is compatible with a wide range of substrate materials—whether quartz, optical glass, or polymeric materials—enabling precise imprinting and meeting the application needs of diverse fields such as biometrics, laser systems, and display projection. is currently realized DOE (Especially for consumer‑grade, large‑size, and complex‑structured components) the mainstream and optimal technology for mass production. Nowadays, domestic enterprises are also… DOE Breakthroughs have been achieved in the fields of fabrication and nanoimprint lithography. ， It has also enabled China to break free from external dependence in the field of core laser components, giving it the confidence of independently controllable technology.

Over the course of more than a century, lasers have long since evolved from rare curiosities in the laboratory into everyday tools around us. “ All-purpose tool ” : In hospitals, it’s used to correct myopia and remove tumors; in factories, it slices steel plates and engraves markings. The glass panels of smartphone screens rely on ultrafast laser cutting to achieve smooth edges without chipping. When we scroll through short videos or make video calls, behind the scenes billions of laser beams are racing day and night through optical fibers. Even the sensor‑activated doors at shopping malls and the barcode scanners at supermarket checkouts depend entirely on lasers. According to UNESCO statistics, worldwide… 60% Medical diagnostics are inseparable from optical technologies. Since the invention of the laser, every two to three years a laser‑related breakthrough has been awarded the Nobel Prize—testifying to the profound impact this beam of light has had on human science and technology, far beyond what we might imagine.

Today, scientists are pushing this beam of light even farther: in the future, we may use lasers to ignite nuclear fusion, providing humanity with virtually limitless clean energy; we could employ attosecond lasers to observe the intricate motions of electrons, enabling the creation of faster, smaller chips and unlocking more of the secrets hidden in the microscopic world of life. And… DOE Optical Components and Nanoimprint Technology Industrialization The ongoing advancement of laser technology will make its applications even more widespread, precise, and accessible. From the ancient practice of drilling wood to create fire and illuminate the night, to today’s creation of the most precise and powerful artificial light, humanity’s pursuit of light has always been driven by an unrelenting curiosity about the unknown. This beam of light, which has spanned a century, will continue to guide us forward.