G-NET II

Gordon Gould, Charles Townes, Arthur Schawlow, Theodore Maiman

The name LASER is an acronym for Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation. In 1917, Albert Einstein first theorized about the process which makes lasers possible called "Stimulated Emission."

In 1954, Charles Townes and Arthur Schawlow invented the Maser (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of radiation), using ammonia gas and microwave radiation - the maser was invented before the (optical) laser. The technology is very close but does not use a visible light. In 1954, Charles Townes and Arthur Schawlow invented the maser (microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation), using ammonia gas and microwave radiation - the maser was invented before the (optical) laser. The technology is very close but does not use a visible light. In 1958, Charles Townes and Arthur Schawlow theorized about a visible laser, an invention that would use infrared and/or visible spectrum light. Theodore Maiman invented the ruby laser considered to be the first successful optical or light laser. Many historians claim that Theodore Maiman invented the first optical laser, however, there is some controversy that Gordon Gould was the first. Gordon Gould was the first person to use the word "laser". There is good reason to believe that Gordon Gould made the first light laser. Gould was a doctoral student at Columbia University under Charles Townes, the inventor of the maser. Gordon Gould was inspired to build his optical laser starting in 1958. He failed to file for a patent his invention until 1959. As a result, Gordon Gould's patent was refused and his technolgy was exploited by others. It took until 1977 for Gordon Gould to finally win his patent war and recieve his first patent for the laser. The first gas laser (helium neon) was invented by Ali Javan. A Technical History of the Laser Bell Labs A variety of different lasers were invented by AT&T Bell Labs, with the Helium-Neon being the first to exhibit a continuous beam of coherent light. Gordon Gould - Optical Gordon Gould invented the optical light laser. Inventor - Gordon Gould Gordon Gould Charles Townes and Arthur Schawlow - Maser On March 24, 1959, Charles Townes and Arthur Schawlow were granted a patent for the Maser, the precursor to the laser. The Maser (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission) was a big hit, being used to amplify radio signals and as an ultrasensitive detector for space research. Charles Townes - Maser Charles Townes Arthur Schawlow Theodore Maiman - Ruby Theodore Maiman was the inventor of the Ruby System. Theodore Maiman Ali Javan - Gas Dr. Ali Javan invented the first gas or Helium Neon Laser - in 1960. Ali Javan Kumar Patel - Carbon Dioxide The carbon dioxide laser was invented by Kumar Patel in 1964. Kumar Patel Robert Hall In 1962, Robert Hall created a revolutionary type of laser that is still used in many of the electronic appliances and communications systems that we use every day. Hildreth "Hal" Walker Invented laser telemetry and targeting systems. Ray Gun A patent for the "Portable Beam Generator" also known as a hand-held laser ray gun was granted to the inventor, Frederick R. Schollhammer on July 9, 1968. It was patent #3,392,261. Laser Printers The history of computer printers. Surgery for Eyes Dr. Steven Trokel patented the Excimer laser for vision correction. The Excimer laser was originally used for etching silicone computer chips in the 1970s. Working in the IBM research laboratories in 1982, Dr. Rangaswamy Srinivasin, James Wynne, and Samuel Blum, saw the potential of the Excimer laser in interacting with biological tissue. Srinivasin and the IBM team saw that you could remove tissue with a laser without causing any heat damage to the neighboring material. Dr. Steven Trokel, a New York City ophthalmologist, made the connection to the cornea and performed the first laser surgery on a patient's eyes in 1987. The next ten years were spent perfecting the equipment and the techniques used in laser eye surgery. In 1996, the first Excimer laser for ophthalmic refractive use was approved in the United States. Note: It took the observations of Dr. Fyodorov in a case of eye trauma in the 1970's to bring about the practical application of refractive surgery through radial keratotomy. History of Laser Eye Surgery Working in the IBM research laboratories, Dr. Srinivasin saw the potential of the Excimer laser in interacting with biological tissue. Dr. Steven Trokel, an ophthalmologist, finally made that connection to the cornea. History of Machines for LASIK Eximer laser is in the spotlight as a fantastic way of myopic vision correction, passing through thousands of researches after Dr. Steven Trokel reported the experiment using cow's cornea in 1983 in America.