Proceedings Article | 12 May 1995
KEYWORDS: Laser applications, Fiber lasers, Medicine, Lenses, Fiber optics, Laser optics, Optical components, Laser dentistry, Semiconductor lasers, Microlens
The progress of modern optics and laser technologies is substantially influenced by two factors: (1) Development of semiconductor lasers (SL), lines and matrix with power of 1 - 100 W at room temperature and their applications in industry, medicine, ecology, etc. (instead of YAG:Nd, He-Ne, and other types of lasers). (2) Broad development of fiber-optics systems in industry for delivery of laser radiation, in medicine as medical tools and fiber-optics nets for diagnostics in medicine and environmental applications. Also, the following directions are very important now: (1) Microsystem technique, which often includes micro-opto-electro- mechanical components in an integrated unit. (2) Integrated optical systems which consist of a number of special micro-optical components (MOC) like wave-guides, optical interconnections, geodesical lenses, special diffraction elements, etc. (3) Information technique for optical communication, cable television, optical recording, data storage, optical diagnostics in complicated technological processes and constructions, in medicine, biology and ecology, etc., which are now more and more connected with fiber-optical systems. All these new or relatively new fields of laser applications in optics demand a new much more variable component base, which could not be fabricated by traditional means of optical technology (mechanical polishing technique).
