Laser Institute of America

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Our History

History of the Laser and Our Members

The LIA timeline represents significant events that demonstrate advances in laser technologies. Since the 1960s the laser has come a long way, just like our very own members.

Celebrating 50 years (2018)

1968 – 2018

Timeline

1960s
  • 1960
    Theodore Maiman demonstrates the laser using a ruby crystal in his laboratory.
  • 1964
    Arthur Schawlow shares Nobel Prize in Physics for invention of the laser; initiates program of radio and infrared astronomy at University of California, Berkeley.
  • 1968
    The Laser Institute of America is founded, previously known as the Laser Industry Association.

1970s
  • 1970
    Nikolai Basov, V. A. Danyilychev, and Yu M. Popov create the excimer laser which became popular in lithography machines, and later on used in the medical field.
  • 1976
    LAGEOS-1 is launched, consisting of 2 satellites, each is a high-density passive laser reflector.
  • 1979
    Gordon Gould receives a patent covering a broad range of laser applications.

1980s
  • 1982
    CDs debut. Originally used for video technology, CDs are used for audio.
  • 1985
    Green-emitting helium-neon lasers are introduced by Melles Griot.
  • 1988
    North America and Europe are linked by first fiber-optic cable.

1990s
  • 1994
    The Quantum Cascade (QC) laser is invented at Bell Labs by Jerome Faist, Federico Capasso, Deborah L. Sivco, Carlo Sirtori, Albert L. Hutchinson and Alfred Y. Cho.
  • 1996
    The first pulsed atom laser, which uses matter instead of light, is demonstrated at MIT by Wolfgang Ketterle.
  • 1997
    Mars Global Surveyor, carrying the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter, reaches Mars and begins mapping the planet's surface with a laser radar.

2000s
  • 2004
    Electronic switching in a Raman laser is demonstrated for the first time by Ozdal Boyraz and Bahram Jalali of UCLA.
  • 2009
    Laser market valued at nearly $6 billion.
  • 2009
    NASA launches LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter), it uses lasers to gather data about the high and low points on the moon.

2010s
  • 2010
    Short-pulse lasers are announced by Alfred Leitenstorfer and his research group from the University of Konstanz.
  • 2010
    Rainer Blatt and Piet O. Schmidt, along with their team, demonstrate a single-atom laser.
  • 2014
    Founding Father Dr. Charles Hard Townes passes away at the age of 99.