Scientists Fit 1.05-Nanojoule Ultrafast Laser on Photonic Chip for Portable Devices
Updated
Updated · Livescience.com · Jun 30
Scientists Fit 1.05-Nanojoule Ultrafast Laser on Photonic Chip for Portable Devices
3 articles · Updated · Livescience.com · Jun 30
Summary
A Nature study showed a chip-scale laser producing 1.05 nanojoules in 147-femtosecond bursts, a performance level researchers said can rival laboratory ultrafast lasers.
The advance came from adapting the 1998 Mamyshev oscillator, which uses a nonlinear waveguide and two optical filters to preserve intense pulses while blocking weaker destabilizing light.
A 42-centimeter laser cavity was folded onto an area about the size of a match head, overcoming a key miniaturization hurdle that has kept ultrafast laser systems on tabletops.
Because the chips can be made on silicon wafers, researchers said more than 1,000 laser cavities could be fabricated in one batch, potentially cutting costs and widening deployment.
That could enable portable pollution sensors, field medical diagnostics, smaller atomic clocks and other imaging or information-processing devices that now rely on bulky, expensive hardware.
Will this breakthrough ignite a new global race for dominance in the multi-billion dollar photonic chip market?
How will this 'holy grail' laser chip reshape industries from medicine to navigation and future quantum computing?
Can this tiny laser overcome the practical hurdles of heat and cost to truly replace its tabletop counterparts?
EPFL Breakthrough: Kilowatt-Level Ultrafast Lasers Integrated on Photonic Chips After 20 Years
Overview
After more than 20 years of research, scientists at EPFL led by Professor Tobias J. Kippenberg have achieved a major breakthrough by integrating high-pulse-energy ultrafast lasers onto a tiny photonic chip. This innovation, published in Nature in June 2026, delivers kilowatt-level peak powers in a compact format, matching the performance of large, expensive laboratory lasers. The miniaturized chip can now drive demanding applications across fields like advanced manufacturing, medical diagnostics, and high-speed data communication. This success fulfills a long-held ambition in the scientific community and is set to revolutionize many industries by making powerful laser technology more accessible.