Photonic crystal lasers, from the lab to production
Semergytech is commercializing photonic crystal surface-emitting lasers (PCSELs): semiconductor lasers that emit a narrow, single-mode beam from a large area.
Our work builds on years of research at the University of Texas at Arlington and Stanford University. We sample PCSEL chips today and design them with our own simulation software, PCSELSim.
Why photonic crystal lasers
A PCSEL puts a two-dimensional photonic crystal next to the active layer. The lattice feeds light back in-plane to form one coherent mode, then diffracts it straight up out of the surface.
Single mode over a large area
The photonic crystal selects one lasing mode across the whole emitting area, so output can grow with area instead of breaking into many modes.
A narrow, round beam
Light leaves vertically through the surface in a narrow, symmetric beam, cutting down the corrective optics that edge-emitting lasers rely on.
Made like a chip
Surface emission means devices can be tested on the wafer and laid out in two-dimensional arrays, the way semiconductor products scale.
| Property | PCSEL | VCSEL | Edge-emitting laser |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emits from | Surface | Surface | Cleaved edge |
| Beam shape | Round, narrow | Round | Elliptical, divergent |
| Single mode at high power | Large-area single mode | Limited by small aperture | Difficult |
| Wafer-level testing | Yes | Yes | No |
General characteristics of each laser architecture, not measured product specifications.
Products
Devices you can test today, and the software we use to design them.
Where PCSELs fit
LiDAR
Bright, low-divergence sources for automotive and robotic ranging.
Free-space communications
Narrow beams that carry further with simpler optics.
Data and consumer electronics
Compact, efficient emitters for sensing and AR/VR modules.
Industrial sensing
Stable sources for metrology, inspection and monitoring.
Medical devices
Laser sources for diagnostic and therapeutic equipment.
Defense and aerospace
Rugged emitters for systems that need high reliability.
We're hiring in Arlington
Join a small team turning PCSEL research into products. You'll own work across design, process development and fabrication from day one.
Open to US citizens and permanent residents.
Rooted in research
Our technology is based on research from the Zhou group at the University of Texas at Arlington, together with collaborators at Stanford University. Read more about the lab at zhoulab.uta.edu.