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honors along the way. In 1994, he was elected to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
How does a diode laser work?
The word LASER is an acronym for “Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.” Fundamentally, lasers work by using energy, either optically or electrically, to excite a material, or gain medium, which then amplifies light. This light is then directed into a cavity (think of it as light sandwiched between two mirrors), where the light bounces back and forth repeatedly causing even more light to be emitted. Different materials can be used to generate this reaction and operate a laser.
A diode laser is simply a type of laser where the gain medium is a semiconductor—materials such as gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, or indium phosphide, to name a few. Most of the lasers in our daily lives, from CD players to price code scanners in stores to laser printers, are laser diodes.
Robert Hall’s invention of the diode laser was the first of several major contributions GE scientists have made in the field of laser technology. One area where GE’s contributions in lasers have been most significant is in advanced manufacturing applications.
Over the years, GE has pioneered the use of lasers in manufacturing ranging from laser hole drilling in aircraft blades to the first use of lasers for surface treatment of blades for better strength. Lasers are also used to weld filaments for lighting products, lamination spacers for generators and components for X-ray tubes. In recent years, GE has developed new applications of the laser that include the measurement of precision parts in production applications, the repair of power generation parts, and the processing of solar panel materials.
Global Solar to power world’s largest CIGS rooftop
Global Solar Energy will use thin film Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide (CIGS) technology to power solar energy for a plastics manufacturer in Orgiano, Italy,
Global Solar, a global manufacturer of high- efficiency CIGS solar materials announces that its technology is powering the largest CIGS rooftop installation in the world. The firm is the only CIGS manufacturer in full-scale production on a flexible substrate and has achieved 11% average solar cell efficiency.
The system, currently producing 820 kW of solar energy was made possible by Yohkon Energía SL, a Spanish producer of solar modules and applied solutions, and CDM Italy, a photovoltaic (PV) specialist and Italian branch for Espacasa SL Spain and Global Solar.
As a strategic partner of Global Solar, Yohkon Energía manufactures modules based on the company’s CIGS material. CIGS is a thin-film PV technology, which offers significant benefits over traditional crystalline silicon PV such as lowering cost of materials, lighter weight, flexibility, and improved efficiency in low light and extreme temperatures. Global Solar is the only company reliably producing CIGS that can be encapsulated in either traditional glass modules or in a flexible laminate.
“Yohkon recognizes the tremendous technological benefits that CIGS PV offers, including its high-power density, which is why we have been recommending the technology for installations throughout our markets in Spain and Portugal,” said Jose Maria del Barrio, GM of Yohkon Energía SL. “We partnered with Global Solar because it has proven to be the industry leader in delivering high-efficiency CIGS at a manufacturing capacity that allows to ensure that this project will be the first of many.”
“CIGS is one of the most efficient thin-film technologies, with enormous potential to make
June
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