Physicists develop plastic semiconductors for laser diode use

Not to get all scientific on you or anything, but a team of Imperial physicists have just figured out a way to use plastics in laser diodes. For the uninitiated, scientists have been unable to make plastic semiconductor laser diodes because they had not yet found / developed "any plastics that could sustain a large enough current whilst also supporting the efficient light emission needed to produce a laser beam." Now, however, that obstacle has reportedly been overcome by making minor tweaks to a given plastic's chemical structure, and the resulting material will transport charges some 200 times better than before without impeding its ability to emit light. By the sound of things, the crew behind the breakthrough isn't quite ready to offer up the solution to manufacturers, but with a bit more work, we suspect that notion will change.

[Via Slashdot]

[maty @ May 26th 2008 5:08AM]

So what does this mean? Cheaper drives?

[Dave @ May 26th 2008 11:25AM]

I hope so. I would love cheap Blu-ray burners and drives :)

[BobTurbo @ May 26th 2008 5:18AM]

How about "what this means to you" line because I stopped using my brain 10 years ago.

[ReggieXuk @ May 26th 2008 5:23AM]

How its made showed how sillicon chips are made.
Cant find the video on youtube though.

Found this: http://www.physorg.com/news129903497.html

different newss

[ethana2 @ May 26th 2008 6:02AM]

Shields up, enterprise! Proton torpe--AAHAHCKKCKSSHBCKRKSSHHH

[Samboini @ May 26th 2008 6:32AM]

You should ease off the drugs.

[roflercopterer @ May 26th 2008 6:34AM]

ignore samboner, you should do more drugs and post more on the internets.

[ethana2 @ May 26th 2008 6:39AM]

First impressions from the picture, that's all.
By the way, you don't print numbers on the bottom of an optical disk. You also don't shoot lasers at the disk when it's not even /on the motor/.

So whatever it is, it's sure as heck not an optical disk being read, because it is neither.

...I'm sorry, evidently that's more of a phaser, a proton torpedo doesn't leave a trail like that.

[ethana2 @ May 26th 2008 6:44AM]

Photon, not proton. Sorry, wrong Star **** franchise.

[Hafk @ May 26th 2008 1:19PM]

Photon Torpedo! Double! Laser!

Just kidding: I'm a Spread Bomb man.

[kamal @ Jun 11th 2008 3:40AM]

sarvice lesmage

[Josh L @ May 26th 2008 10:55AM]

"Imperial physicists"? Is this preliminary Death Star research?

[Harry Wagstaff @ May 26th 2008 11:10AM]

Imperial as in Imperial College London. So if the Sith start invading, starting with London, then yes.

[Andrew @ May 26th 2008 11:14PM]

I was thinking Imperial as in measures bit rates in the farlings per hogshead.

[Peter F @ May 27th 2008 10:46AM]

So, this lazer makes disks levitate?

[Rick @ May 27th 2008 6:31PM]

So the advantages of this are?