Imagine trying to grab a tiny, fast-moving particle with a pair of tweezers, but the particles are too energetic for normal light to hold. This project built a super-strong, specialized 'purple' light source that acts like a high-grip tool to freeze and control these particles. By making these lasers tougher and cheaper, they've unlocked the ability to study materials that were previously impossible to trap.
Deep Ultraviolet (DUV) lasers are traditionally too expensive, fragile, and inefficient for widespread commercial or practical scientific use. This limits the development of high-precision quantum sensors and atomic clocks.
Fully functioning DUV laser systems at 229, 227.5, and 214 nm, along with high-damage-threshold coatings and hermetically sealed conversion resonators.
If you are a clock manufacturer dealing with instability in time-keeping standards — this project developed high-power DUV laser systems at 229, 227.5, and 214 nm that enable more precise control of atoms for ultra-accurate timing.
If you are an optics provider dealing with components that degrade quickly under intense UV light — this project developed high-damage-threshold coatings and hermetically sealed resonators that ensure long-term operation at high DUV intensities.
If you are a supplier dealing with the high cost and fragility of DUV light sources — this project developed a more reliable and cost-effective continuous-wave DUV laser system that is rugged enough for practical use outside specialized labs.
The project has demonstrated that continuous-wave DUV lasers can be made significantly more cost-effective than existing systems. Based on available project data, this provides a foundation for more practical and usable devices.
The project has moved from prototyping to fully functioning demonstrator systems. Industrial partners have already produced tangible outcomes like high-damage-threshold coatings and sealed resonators.
Based on available project data, the consortium has developed specialized DUV optical components, including coatings, mirrors, and nonlinear crystals, though specific licensing terms are not listed.
The systems are designed to be more rugged and practical than previous versions. Several components are already being adopted by European laboratories outside the project.
The project period runs from 2022-10-01 to 2026-09-30.
The consortium is well-balanced for technology transfer, featuring 8 partners across 5 countries. With an industry ratio of 38% and 3 SMEs involved, there is a strong link between the academic research led by Max Planck and the commercial application of the hardware. This structure ensures that the high-power DUV lasers are not just scientific curiosities but are built with industrial durability and cost-effectiveness in mind.
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