New laser in electronics to make computing faster and better

A faster Internet? Well, this isn't the first time scientists have mentioned it.

But researchers at the University of Central Florida have figured out a way to use miniature lasers to make high-speed computing faster and better.

The new devices don't fail when the conventional devices do. The problem with high-speed data transmission and gadgets such as compact disc players is that they can fail when there's too much information going through them too quickly. Too much stress isn't a good thing.

To get around this, the UCF scientists used laser diodes, a light source that emits at a single wavelength.

Dennis Deppe, a professor at the UCF, said in a statement:

"At the speed at which the industry is moving, I wouldn’t be surprised if in four to five years, when you go to Best Buy to buy cables for all your electronics, you’ll be selecting cables with laser diodes embedded in them."

In the future, the lasers embedded in optical clocks could help improve GPS and high-speed wireless data communication, the scientists report. But first, the scientists need to work out the voltage issues to make it more efficient.

Will laser devices bring on the next generation Internet? We shall see..

Photo: Jacque Brund

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This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com