Alpes commercializes quantum-cascade laser

Nov. 8, 1999
Alpes Lasers (Neuchatel, Switzerland), a spinoff from the University of Neuchatel, is the first company to offer for sale the quantum-cascade laser?a technology developed at Lucent Technologies? Bell Labs (Murray Hill, NJ) and the subject of research at several universities and corporations worldwide.

Alpes Lasers (Neuchâtel, Switzerland), a spinoff from the University of Neuchatel, is the first company to offer for sale the quantum-cascade laser — technology developed at Lucent Technologies' Bell Labs (Murray Hill, NJ) and the subject of research at several universities and corporations worldwide. The company is offering the laser in the form of a starter kit for spectroscopy applications, which is the form expected to generate the most initial interest.

Founder Jérôme Faist, one of the inventors of quantum-cascade lasers while at Bell Labs, joined with Mattias Beck and Antoine Muller in August 1998 to form Alpes Lasers. The three men raised approximately $60,000 in personal funds to start the company and, according to Muller, plan to use venture capital next year to move from the university laboratory space they now occupy.

—W. Conard Holton

Sponsored Recommendations

Advancing Neuroscience Using High-Precision 3D Printing

March 7, 2025
Learn how Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Used High-Precision 3D Printing to Advance Neuroscience Research using 3D Printed Optical Drives.

From Prototyping to Production: How High-Precision 3D Printing is Reinventing Electronics Manufacturing

March 7, 2025
Learn how micro 3D printing is enabling miniaturization. As products get smaller the challenge to manufacture small parts increases.

Sputtered Thin-film Coatings

Feb. 27, 2025
Optical thin-film coatings can be deposited by a variety of methods. Learn about 2 traditional methods and a deposition process called sputtering.

What are Notch Filters?

Feb. 27, 2025
Notch filters are ideal for applications that require nearly complete rejection of a laser line while passing as much non-laser light as possible.

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Laser Focus World, create an account today!