Deep UV Lasers for Device Sterilization

Engineers have created a deep-ultraviolet (UV) laser using semiconductor materials that show great promise for improving the use of UV light for sterilizing medical tools, among other applications. The aluminum gallium nitride-based device is capable of emitting a deep-UV laser at sought-after wavelengths and modal line widths. The team used molecular beam epitaxy, a crystal growth technique, to grow a high-quality crystal of aluminum nitride.