Laser Information Resources

Sub-Table of Contents

• References on Laser Principles, Technology, Construction, and Applications
  • Books, Collections, Other Publications
  • Free Lasers/Optics Trade Magazines
  • Patents

• Newsgroups, Discussion Groups and Technical Forums, Listservers
  • Laser Related USENET Newsgroups
  • Laser Discussion Groups and Technical Forums
  • Laser (Email) Listservers

• Laser and Optics Related Web Links
  • Searching for Laser Information on the Web
  • The Laser, Optics, and Holography Ring
  • Laser Related Web Sites and Links

References on Laser Principles, Technology, Construction, Applications

Books, Collections, Other Publications

Note that some of these titles are quite old - truly vintage - and may be of interest more for collectible value than anything else. However, it is quite remarkable how much was actually known about the physics and technology of lasers only a couple of years after their invention!

1. The Laser Cookbook: 88 Practical Projects
   Gordon McComb
   TAB Books Inc, 1988
   Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214
   ISBN: 0-8306-9390-4 (paperback)

   This inexpensive ($21.95) book contains a wealth of interesting projects that can be performed with diode and helium-neon lasers. These projects range from interferometers, to communications, to fiberoptics, to holography, to light shows. Something for everyone. There are a few small technical errors but nothing that reading Sam's Laser FAQ won't correct. :)

   There is now a new edition with a new title. Aside from the goofy title, it sounds like an updated version of a very good book:

   Lasers, Ray Guns, & Light Cannons: Projects from the Wizard's Workbench
   McComb, Gordon
   McGraw Hill, 1997
   Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214
   ISBN: 0-0704-5035-8

   Table of Contents:

   • Introduction to Lasers
   • Working with Lasers
   • Introduction to Optics
   • Experimenting with Light & Optics
   • All About Helium-Neon Lasers
   • Build a HeNe Laser
   • Constructing an Optical Bench
   • Laser Optics Experiments
   • Build a Michelson Interferometer
   • Introduction to Semiconductor Lasers
   • Laser Power Supplies; Build an Experimenter's Power Supply
   • Free-Air Laser Light Communications
   • Advanced Projects in Laser Communication
   • Lasers & Fiberoptics
   • Experiments in Laser Seismology
   • Beginning Holography
   • Advanced Holography
   • Basic Laser Light Shows
   • Advanced Laser Light Shows
   • Building Laser "Ray Guns" & Light Cannons
   • Tools & Supplies for Laser Experimentation
   • Buying Laser Parts
   • Controlling Laser Beams with Your Computer.

2. Build your own Laser, Phaser, Ion Ray Gun & Other Working Space Age Projects
   Robert E. Iannini
   TAB Books, a division of McGraw Hill, 1983
   Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214
   ISBN: 0-8306-0204-6, ISBN: 0-8306-0604-1 (paperback)

   This includes plans for a HeNe laser power supply as well as complete ruby/Nd:YAG and CO2 lasers and other interesting stuff. (The laser projects are almost identical to those in [3], below.)

3. Build your own working Fiberoptic, Infrared, & Laser Space-Age Projects
   Robert E. Iannini
   TAB books, a division of McGraw-Hill, 1987
   Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214
   ISBN: 0-8306-2724-3

   This includes plans for two HeNe laser power supplies as well as complete ruby/Nd:YAG and CO2 lasers and other interesting stuff. (The laser projects are almost identical to those in [2], above.)

4. Scientific American, major articles and in particular, the monthly column, "The Amateur Scientist". The most relevant time period will be 1960 to 1980 but there has been more recent laser and related material. The most convenient source is [5], below.

5. Light and its Uses, (readings from Scientific American) C. L. Strong's "The Amateur Scientist" with introductions by Jeral Walker.
   W. H. Freeman And Co., articles copyright 1952 to 1980
   ISBN: 0-7167-1184-2, ISBN: 0-7167-1185-0 (paperback)

   Extensive information on how to build lasers and how to use them, as well as info on building laser instruments (including several interferometers and spectrographs) and making holograms of various types (optical, microwave, acoustic). All of John Strong's (genius experimentalist) and Jeral Walker's columns on photonic devices are in this absolutely fabulous collection. See the section: Light and its Uses - Complete Table of Contents for a complete list of articles.

   The book describes the construction of several types of lasers by amateurs including HeNe, argon ion, dye, CO2, and nitrogen - all from scratch (e.g., the HeNe and argon lasers require glassworking to fabricate the plasma tube.) It is not for the absolute beginner but suitable for anyone who has some considerable hobbyist type experience with electronics and/or lasers.

   Note: To actually construct most of these projects requires a fair degree of skill and determination; access to some machining, glassworking, and/or high vacuum facilities; a source of electronic, optical, and mechanical components; and a stock of chemicals and other materials. However, much of this can be provided without the assets of a major R&D laboratory but will require improvisation. Nonetheless, the book makes for some very interesting and educational reading even if you are not going to be building anything. See the chapters starting with Amateur Laser Construction for more info on how to get started in home-built lasers.

6. Various Laser Handbooks from CRC Press. Go to CRC Press and take the links to "Physics", then "Lasers, Optics, and Optoelectronics". These will set you back a bit in the $$$ department if you insist on ordering them for your private collection, but will include just about everything you ever wanted (or didn't want) to know about all sorts of serious laser science and technology topics. They should have what you need to be able to answer questions like: "Will a mixture of hydrogen and plutonium lase? What are its wavelengths and gain?" and other burning (no pun...) questions that keep you up at night! Yet more guaranteed cures for insomnia - check out your local university library today!

7. Nuts and Volts magazine has a monthly column called "Laser Insight" which covers all sorts of topics from holography to building a ruby laser.

8. Some older issues of Popular Electronics and Radio Electronics have articles on how to use HeNe lasers and power supplies for them (maybe 1980 to 1989).

9. Forrest Mims' Circuit Scrapbook II
   Forrest Mims
   Howard Sams & Co., 1987

   This book is out of print but available at some libraries. It provides various driver circuits and a miniature laser + driver + battery built into a very small package.

   Forrest Mims has also written a number of articles on how to use and build lasers. He is also an occasional contributor to the USENET newsgroups including those on the sci.electronics hierarchy.

10. The Laser Book - A New Technology of Light
    Clifford L. Lawrence
    Prentice Hall Press, 1986
    A division of Simon and Schuster
    New York, NY 10023
    ISBN: 0-13-523622-3

    This book includes descriptions of many common lasers, construction, and applications.

11. Lasers and their Applications
    Kurt R. Stehling
    The World Publishing Company, 1966
    Cleveland and New York
    Library of Congress Catalog Number: 66-18464

12. Introduction to Laser Physics
    Bela A. Lengyel
    John Wyley and Sons, Inc., 1966
    New York, London, Sydney
    Library of Congress Catalog Number: 65-27659

    If you always wanted to really understand terms like population inversion, hyperfine transitions, and quantum efficiency, this old but solid book is for you. Be prepared for some heavy math. However, it does include some practical aspects of laser construction as well.

13. Introduction to Laser Physics
    K. Shimoda
    Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York London Paris Tokyo, 1986
    ISBN: 3-387-16713-7 (2nd edition), ISBN: 0-387-13430-1 (1st edition)

    More heavy math, less practical information than [10].

14. The Fiberoptics and Laser Handbook
    Edward L. Safford, Jr.
    TAB books, a division of McGraw-Hill, 1984
    Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214
    ISBN: 0-8306-671-8, 0-8306-1671-3 (paperback)

    Coverage of optical fibers, lenses, lasers, applications. A potpourri of topics, some rather sporadic but interesting nonetheless. Just take any circuits with a grain of silicon (if you look at Figure 7.2 you will know what I mean!).

15. Understanding Lasers
    Jeff Hecht
    Howard W. Sams & Company, 1988
    ISBN: 0-672-27274-1

    Includes basic laser theory, descriptions of various types of lasers, some applications.

16. Lasers - The New Technology of Light
    Charlene W. Billings
    Facts on File, Inc., 1992
    460 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016
    ISBN: 0-8160-2630-0

    Introduction to lasers with emphasis on applications.

17. Laser Experimenter's Handbook, 2nd Edition
    Delton T. Horn
    TAB books, a division of McGraw-Hill, 1988
    Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214
    ISBN: 0-8306-9115-4, 0-8306-3115-1 (paperback)

    Much useful information but the only actual projects uses an IR laser diode to construct a simple communication link. And, their pathetic attempt at a laser diode driver circuit is amusing to say the least! (Hint: the design cannot possibly work as described.)

18. Wedding Lasers to Power Supplies
    Photonics Spectra, June 1982

    This is a nice article on general power supply considerations for HeNe and (small sealed) CO2 lasers.

19. The Bell Jar - Vacuum Technique for the Amateur is a collection of information as well as a newsletter on high vacuum technology for amateurs which sometimes includes laser information. A vacuum system will be required if you are interested in constructing your own gas laser from scratch. Articles are archived at their web site

20. Some of the earlier columns of "The Laser Experimenter" (1995) went into detail on how to make light shows, and how to construct the power supplies for the HeNe type of lasers.

21. The March 1989 issue of Radio-Electronics magazine has plans for a HeNe power supply running on 12 VDC using a 555 timer chip and two transistors, a relay, and a 12 V to 280 V step-up transformer.

22. The Blue Laser Diode - Gallium-Nitride based Light Emitters and Laser
    Shuji Nakamura and Gerhard Fasol
    Springer-Verlag, Spring 1997
    ISBN: 3-540-61590-3

23. Laser: Super Tool of the 1980s
    Jeff Hecht and Dick Teresi
    Ticknor and Fields, New Haven and New York, 1982
    ISBN: 0-89919-08209

    Basic principles, types of lasers, applications.

24. Lasers, Ray Guns, & Light Cannons: Projects from the Wizard's Workbench
    Gordon McComb
    McGraw-Hill, 1997
    300 Water Street, Whitby, Ontario
    ISBN: 0-07-045035-8

25. Lasers
    Anthony E. Siegman
    University Science Books, May 1986
    ISBN: 0-935-70211-3

26. Laser Physics
    Sargent, Scully, and Lamb

27. Lasers: Tools of Modern Technology
    Ronald Brown
    Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1968
    Garden City, New York

28. Lasers and Holography: An Introduction to Coherent Optics
    Winston K. Kock
    Doubleday & Company, Inc.
    First edition: 1969, second enlarged edition: 1981
    Garden City, New York

29. ABCs of Lasers and Masers
    Allan Lytel
    Howard W. Sams & Company, 2nd printing, 1963
    

30. ABCs of Lasers
    Allan Lytel
    Howard W. Sams & Company, 1966
    Indianapolis, Indiana 46206
    Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 65-24554

31. Solid State Laser Engineering, 4th edition
    Walter Koechner
    Springer-Verlag, 1999
    ISBN: 3-540-60237-2

    They have chapters on many aspects of solid state laser system design including pulse forming networks for flashlamp systems. Latest edition has substantial material on DPSS lasers as well. The 1st through 3rd editions are well worth having as well since there is some information in earlier editions that has been dropped from later ones.

32. Various Literature on Flash Lamps
    EG&G (now Perkin Elmer), Heraeus Noblelight, ILC, and others
    See the section: Flashlamp and Arc Lamp Manufacturers and References.

33. American Journal of Physics

34. The Review of Scientific Instruments, a journal dedicated to those do it yourselfers in research, that often has quite cheaply built and ingenious designs for some rather complex physics and chemical apparatus for hard scientists. The on-line version requires a subscription but you may be able to find it in print or gain access via a university library.

35. Gas Laser Technology
    Doublas C. Sinclair and Earl Bell
    Optics and Spectroscopy Series
    Sumner-Davis consulting editor
    Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969
    ISBN: 03-075385-6

36. Laser Electronics, 3rd edition
    Joseph T. Verdeyen
    Prentice Hall, 1994
    ISBN: 0-13706-666-X

37. The Holography Handbook: Making Holograms the Easy Way
    Fred Unterseher, F. Ross (Editor), B. Kluepfel (Editor)
    Ross Books, June 1996 (also an earlier edition, 1982)
    ISBN: 0-89496-016-4

    This is a very well written and easy to understand book on the practical aspects of creating outstanding holograms at home.

    The following may be the earlier edition:

    The Holography Handbook
    Fred Unterseher, Jeannene Hansen, and Bob Schlesinger
    Ross Books
    ISBN: 0-89496-057-1

38. Laser Fundamentals
    William Silfast
    ISBN: 0-521-55617-1

39. CO2 Lasers: Effects and Applications
    W. W. Duley, 1976

40. The Laser Guidebook, 2nd Edition
    Jeff Hecht
    Tab Books, 1992
    ISBN: 0-830-64274-9 (paperback)

    This book gives a fair amount of information on just about every type of laser ever invented or commercialized. Not a lot of details but all the basic characteristics are covered.

41. Principles of Lasers, 4th Edition
    Orazio Svelto (Editor), David C. Hanna (Translator)
    Plenum Publishing Corporation, 1998
    ISBN: 0-306-45748-2

    This text, which empansizes the physics of lasers over the mathematics, includes many examples, tables, end-of-chapter problems with solutions provided, along with 250 illustrations. It is suitable for advanced level courses.

42. Understanding Lasers
    Stan Gibilisco
    1989

43. Homemade Holograms: The Complete Guide to Inexpensive, Do-It-Yourself Holography
    John Iovine
    Tab Books, 1990
    ISBN: 0-830-63460-6

44. The Total Laser Book
    Thomas C. Altman

45. The Laser in America, 1950-1970
    Joan Lisa Bromberg
    The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1991
    ISBN: 0-262-02318-0

    Interesting and very readable treatment of the people and developments (mainly the MASER) that laid the foundation for the invention of the laser followed by the frenetic pace of laser research and commercialization in the 1960s (the bulk of the book).

46. What is a Laser?, 1st Edition
    Bruce Lewis. Pictures by Tom Huffman
    Dodd, Mead and Company, 1979
    

    Introductory level, perhaps intended for kids.

47. Lasers: Generation of Light By Stimulated Emission
    Bela A. Lengyel
    John Wiley & Sons, 1964

48. Physics and Technology of Laser Resonators
    D. Hall and P. Jackson (Editors)
    Adam Hilger, 1989
    ISBN: 0-852-74117-0

49. Optics, 3rd Edition
    Eugene Hecht, Alfred Zajac, Karen Guardino (Editor)
    Addison-Wesley, August 1997
    ISBN: 0-201-83887-7

50. Laser Fundamentals
    W. T. Silfast
    Cambridge University Press, 1996
    ISBN: 0-5215-5424-1, 0-5215-5617-1 (paperback)

51. Principles and Practice of Laser Technology, 1st Edition
    Hrand M. Muncheryan
    Tab Books, 1983
    ISBN: 0-6722-1588-8

52. Laser and Optoelectronic Engineering (Series in Electrical Engineering)
    Hrand M. Muncheryan
    Hemisphere, 1991
    ISBN: 1-5603-2062-1

53. Laser Fundamentals and Applications
    Hrand M. Muncheryan
    ISBN: 0-6722-1130-0 (paperback)

54. Masers and Lasers, 1st edition
    H. Arthur Klein, illustrated by Frank Aloise
    J. P. Lippincott, 1963, revised: 1971

55. Optoelectronics, Fiber Optics, and Laser Cookbook
    Thomas Petruzzellis
    McGraw-Hill, May 1997
    ISBN: 0-0704-9839-3, 0-0704-9840-7 (paperback)

56. Semiconductor Diode Lasers
    Streifer and Ettenberg
    IEEE Press, 1991
    ISBN: 0-87942-261-0

57. Laser Light
    Herman Schneider, illustrated by Radu Vero
    McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1978

58. Masers and Lasers: How They Work, What They Do
    M. Brotherton
    McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1964

59. Lasers
    George R Harrison
    Franklin Watts, Inc., 1971

60. Gas Lasers
    C. G. B. Garrett
    McGraw Hill, 1967

61. Laser Technology
    Hrand M. Muncheryan
    Howard Sams, 1979

62. Fundamentals of Photonics
    B. E. A. Saleh and M. C. Teich, (Edited by J. W. Goodman)
    Wiley Series in Pure and Applied Optics
    John Wiley and Sons, 1991
    ISBN: 0-471-83965-5

63. Principles of Holography, 2nd edition
    Howard M. Smith
    John Wiley and Sons, 1975

64. Industrial Applications of Lasers
    Edited by Hans Koebner
    Wiley-Interscience, 1984

65. Lasers
    Peter W. Milonni and Joseph H. Eberly
    John Wiley and Sons, 1988
    ISBN: 0-471-62731-3

66. Lasers and Optical Engineering
    P. Das
    Springer-Verlag, 1991

67. Diode Lasers and Photonic Integrated Circuits
    Wiley Series in Microwave and Opitcal Engineering
    Coldren Corzine
    John Wiley & Sons, 1995

68. Tunable Lasers Handbook
    Edited by F. J. Duarte
    ISBN: 0-12-222695-X

69. Laser and Electro-optics Fundamentals and Engineering
    Christopher C. Davis
    ISBN: 0-521-48403-0

70. Molecular Gas Lasers, Physics and Applications
    Edited by E. P. Velikhov
    MIR of Moscow, 1981

71. The handbook of Lasers
    Marvin J. Webber

72. The handbook of Laser Wavelengths
    Marvin J. Webber

73. Lasers
    Hal Hellman
    U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Devision of Technical Information, Understanding the Atom Series, 1969

74. The Laser Experimenter's Handbook
    Frank McAleese
    TAB Books, 1981

75. Gas Lasers
    A. L. Bloom
    John Wiley & Sons, 1968

76. Lasers and Applications
    W. S. C. Chang (Ed.)
    Ohio State University, 1963

77. Understanding Lasers and Masers
    Stanley Leinwoll
    John F. Rider Publisher, New York, 1965

78. Laser Clinic
    Skip Campisi
    Poptronics, June 2001

    Power supply circuits for an HeNe laser tube and 4 difrerent laser diodes.

79. Light, Lasers, and Optics
    John H. Mauldin
    TAB books, a division of McGraw-Hill, 1988
    Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214
    ISBN: 0-8306-9338-6

80. A Look Inside Lasers
    Jim Johnson
    1981

81. Lasers - Laser Activities for the Classroom
    Harold P. Woods, Joseph R. Verboys, and George A. Evans
    1990

82. How to Build a Low-Cost Laser
    Ronald M. Benrey
    Hayden Publishing, 1974

83. The Laser - Light That Never Was Before
    Ben Patrusky
    Dodd, Mead and Company, New York, 1966

84. The Applications of Holography
    H. J. Caulfield and Sun Lu
    Wiley Interscience, 1970

85. Atomic Light Lasers - What they are and how they work
    Richard Nehrich
    Sterling Publishing, 1967

86. Lasers, The Light Fantastic, A complete course in modern laser technology
    Clayton L. Hallmark
    Tab Books, 1981

87. Lasers - Harnessing the Atom's Light
    James P. Harbison and Robert E. Nahory
    Scientific American, 1998

88. Lasers - Operation, Equipment, Application and Design
    The Engineering Staff of Coherent, Inc., 1980

89. Understanding Laser Technology: An Intuitive Introduction to Basic and Advanced Laser Concepts
    C. Breck Hitz
    PennWell Books, 1985

90. Lasers - What They Do and How They Work
    Usborne New Technology, 1984

91. Atomic Physics of Lasers
    Derek Eastham
    Taylor and Francis, 1986
    ISBN: 0-85066-343-1

92. Lasers and Light - Readings from Scientific American
    Introduction by Arthur L. Schawlow
    Scientific American

93. Semiconductor Diode Lasers, 1st edition
    Ralph W. Campbell and Forrest M Mims III
    1972

94. Molecular Gas Lasers: Physics and Applications
    E. P. Velikhov (editor)
    Mir (Moscow), 1981

95. Lasers, Light Amplifiers and Oscillators
    Dieter Ross
    Academic Press, 1969

96. The Amazing Laser
    A Franklin Institute Book, 1971

97. Laser Engineering
    Kelin J. Kuhn

98. High Power Lasers and Applications
    K. L. Kompa and H. Walther (editors)
    Springer-Verlag, 1978

99. How to Build a Low-Cost Laser
    Ronald N. Benrey
    Hayden Book Company, Inc.

100. Lasers - The Miracle Light
     Larry Kettelkamp
     1979

101. Understanding Science - Lasers
     Warwick Press, 1982

102. The Inside Story - Lasers
     Charles De Vere, 1984

103. High Energy Lasers and Their Applications
     Steven Jacobs, Murray Sargent III, Marlan O. Scully
     Addison-Wesley, 1974

104. Science in Action - Lasers
     William Burroughs

105. Lasers, Light Amplifiers, and Oscillators
     Dieter Rvss
     Academic Press, 1969

106. Lasers: Principles and Applications
     J. Wilson and J.F.B. Hawkes
     Prentice Hall International series in optoelectronics
     Perntice Hall
     ISBN: 0-13-523697-5 (paperback)

107. Elements of Maser Theory
     Arthur A. Vuylsteke (Physics Department of General Motors), 1960

     This one is pre-laser!

108. Introduction to Optics and Lasers in Engineering
     Gabriel Laufer
     Cambridge University Press, 1996

109. Optical Electronics, 3rd edition
     Amnon Yariv (California Institute of Technology)
     Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1985

110. Optics and Lasers Including Fibers and Optical Waveguides
     M. Young
     Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1986

111. Laser Physics
     L. V. Tarasov
     Mir Publishers, Moscow, 1983

112. Physics of Semiconductor Laser Devices
     G. H. B. Thompson
     John Wiley, 1980

113. Free Electron Lasers
     S. Martellucci and A. N. Chester (editors)
     Plenum Press, 1983

114. Understanding Holography, Second Edition
     Michael Wenyon
     Arco Publishing, Inc., 1985

115. The Engineering Uses of Holography
     Elliot R. Robertson and James M. Harvery (editors)
     Cambridge University Press, 1970

116. Coherent Light
     A. F. Harvey
     John Wiley, 1970

117. The Essense of Optoelectronics
     Kathryn Booth and Steven Hill

118. Introduction to Laser Diode-Pumped Solid State Lasers
     Richard Scheps

119. Exploring Laser Light
     T. Kallard
     Optosonic Press, 1977
     American Association of Physics Teachers (second printing), 1982
     ISBN: 0-87739-004-5
     Library of Congress catalog card number: 70-160227

120. Beam: The Race to Make The Laser
     Jeff Hecht
     Oxford University Press, due out March 2005
     ISBN: 0-195142101

121. Laser in Industry
     Edited by S. S. Charschan, part of the Western Electric Series.

122. Metal Vapour Ion Lasers: Kinetic Processes and Gas Discharges
     I.G. Ivanov, E.L. Latush, M.F. Sem, and D.N. Astadjov (Translator)
     ISBN: 0-471955639

123. Building Scientific Apparatus - A Practical Guide to Design and Construction
     John H. Moore, Christopher C. Davis, and Michael A. Coplan
     Addison-Wesley, 1983

124. Gas Lasers
     C. C. B. Garret
     McGraw-Hill, 1967

125. A Guide to the Laser
     Edited by David Fishlock
     American Elsevier, 1967, 1st Edition

126. The story of the Laser
     John Carroll
     Scientific Book Club, 1st Edition

127. Lasers and Masers
     Howard Sams, 1967

128. Laser - The Inventor, The Nobel Laureate, and the Thirty Year Patent War
     Nick Taylor
     Simon and Schuster
     ISBN: 0-684-83515-0

You may be able to find many of these items in a large public or university library. The old issues of magazines are often on microfilm or microfiche. Older books like "Light and its Uses" [5] may be locked away in the dungeons of the library's archives so you may have to ask for them.

Free Lasers/Optics Trade Magazines

Most of these publications also feature an email service to keep you informed of the latest hot industry news with links to associated on-line articles. You can generally subscribe to these with even fewer or no questions asked as long as you have an email address.

Two of the major players are probably Photonics Spectra and Laser Focus World. For additional possibilities, see the section: Laser Related Publications.

Occasionally, there may be a bonus issue like the telephone book thickness "2000 Buyers Guide" from Laser Focus World or the full color spectrum (and other laser info) wall chart found in the August, 2000 issue of Photonics Spectra (that is, if your office mate didn't beat you to it!).

Subscriptions to both the publication and email news service are available via their Web sites.

Patents

In the good old days (say 4 years ago), IBM had a patent database Web site which included complete text and graphics for patents covering most of the years relevant to lasers and it was totally free. That was then taken over by another organization (I refuse to help with their cash flow by naming them) resulting in a blitz of banner ads. Now, with the crash of the .bom, oops, .com bubble, they are charging for graphics downloads via subscription (text was still free last time I checked). (Should by any chance someone from that unnamed company read this, I have no problem with charging for regular commercial use of a patent database. However, for the private individual who browses occasional patents to satisfy their curiosity rather than commercial gain, I think that the best approach would be to allow limited free access to the graphics - say 30 patents/month. This would cost you nothing and would generate good will and recommendations rather than abuse. And I wouldn't have removed 37 links to your service from my Web site!)

For now, the US Patent & Trademark Office has the most advanced search capabilities of Web sites with free access. Access and download is free (your tax dollars at work!) and should remain so. They have complete text and graphics but require that your browser has a late model TIFF reader plug-in. It must be able to display TIFF files using ITU T.6 or CCITT Group 4 (G4) compression. See their: Patent Full-Page Images Help Page for information on system requirements and recommended plug-ins. The one annoying thing is that pages can be saved or printed only one at a time.

Patents may be located by number, subject, inventor, (and other fields), or boolean text, as well as more advanced criteria. All patents referenced by a particular patent as well as all patents which reference that patent may be instantly located. The complete patent documents including diagrams are available at this web site for download. Copies may also be ordered (for a small fee).

Searching on the keyword 'laser' will turn up too many patents to consider. However, narrowing this with 'semiconductor' or 'driver' will restrict the search enough to home in on patents of interest. There will still be many that are likely to be of interest - you can spend days (or longer) at this!

Where the patent number is known (or can be found by searching the USPTO Web site, above), more convenient alternatives for accessing the complete patent include:

• FreePatentsOnline.com.

• US Patent Search.com. Registration is required but downloads are free for now at least.

Patents including all text and graphics may be downloaded and saved or printed as multipage (single) PDF documents in addition to TIFF images (individual pages or complete documents in some cases). These may actually be the same source as there are many similarities in their behavior.

Of course, it is also possible to search for patents the old fashioned way at your local large public library or by browsing the main patent office stacks in Washington, DC. However, these sorts of methods seam terribly archaic in comparison to the use of a modern patent database engine.

Newsgroups, Discussion Groups and Technical Forums, Listservers

Laser Related USENET Newsgroups

I know of two newsgroups most suitable for discussion of laser related topics:

• alt.lasers (Primarily lasers)
• sci.optics (All types of optics)

Generally, sci.optics is to be preferred as it attracts many serious and knowledgeable participants. However, quite often, questions may appear only on alt.lasers. There are many others that may be of interest including sci.engr.lighting, sci.optics.fiber, those in the sci.electronics and sci.physics hierarchies, and more. Check with your ISP to determine what is available - it may be possible to request they add specific groups.

As with any type of discussion group, listen before you dive in. Get a feel for the types of questions that are typical and do not post a reply unless you are fairly confident of your answer! Basic questions are acceptable but it is proper etiquette to first attempt to locate the answer by checking past postings by searching at Google Groups (formerly Deja.com/Dejanews) or one of the other public USENET archives.

A FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) document also exists for sci.optics. The Sci.Optics FAQ may already have answered your question as well.

If you don't know how to access USENET newsgroups, check with your ISP (Internet Service Provider - maybe it's even in the user manual - what a concept!), or your local system administrator or network guru. Usually News access is via the software provided by your ISP, from within your Web browser (e.g., Netscape or Internet Explorer), through the use of a special News utility, or from within other programs like GNUS EMACS. Some initial configuration will have to be done to identify the NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol) server (your newsfeed) to whatever software you are using - this is site specific - your ISP or keeper of the magic will know. :)

Laser Discussion Groups and Technical Forums

For other laser light show discussion groups, check out the links in the section: Laser (Email) Listservers. (There may also be chatrooms included here since chatrooms are sort of like real-time discussion groups.) The main reason some of the forums and chatrooms exist is to get people to go the commercial sites of those who started them (via advertisements, gyrating links, etc.). Not surprisingly, the traffic on most of these is minimal.

• Laserists.com Laser Forums is a resource for people working with display and cutting/marking systems. It currently has forums for topics in CO2 lasers, YAG and fiber lasers, software, projects, the industry, and general areas.

• I currently know of only one active general laser (strictly engineering, not entertainment or holography) discussion group. It is hosted by EIO as part of their laser technical forum. They have several other technical forums as well including ones on laser light shows, holography, and other areas of electronics:
  • EIO - Laser Information and Technical Forum
  • EIO - Laser Hyper-Email Discussion Group

  • EIO - Laser Light Show Information and Technical Forum
  • EIO - Laser Light Show Hyper-Email Discussion Group

  • EIO - Holography Information and Technical Forum
  • EIO - Holography Hyper-Email Discussion Group

  Currently the traffic on the EIO forums is very low compared to the USENET newsgroups but they are worth checking from time-to-time. I consider these essentially dead at this point.

• Phtonicxicon.com hosts several laser related discussion groups including those for laser shows and technical issues. These seem to be moderately active, at least compared to most of the others!

• There is a group for info on laser repair, support for current and "obsolete" lasers, problems, part sources, etc.:
  • Yahoo Groups - Laser Users

  Currently, traffic is next to nonexistent but who knows?

• There is also one strictly for ruby lasers at:
  • Marc Ecker's Ruby Laser Message Board
  But there appear to have been no postings after 2003.

• Other public discussion group sites like Yahoo Groups (formerly eGroups) may be worth checking as well. Searching for "lasers" turned up several rather esoteric laser related forums but nothing of a general nature. However, there is a new hologrphay forum and now one on laser processing.

• For (mostly) laser show related topics, there is a discussion group hosted by LaserFX accessible via the LaserFX - Laser Forums Web Page. (There used to be several forums but they have been combined due to lack of traffic.)

Of these, the first two are most likely to deal with laser technology, engineering, construction, and repair. As with the other technical forums, traffic is relatively low but worth checking and posting with serious questions since people who are knowledgeable are likely to monitor these discussion groups.

• Society for Amateur Scientists (Includes an on-line discussion forum)

Laser (Email) Listservers

Once subscribed, all email sent to a specified address is distributed to all users of the listserver group. Thus, you can elect to participate in any or all discussions, or simply just monitor the traffic for your own interest or research. As with USENET newsgroups, don't jump into a discussion without having an idea of the context - what has already transpired and then only if you have a valid question or can contribute in a knowledgeable way to the discussion.

You can find a large number of totally public lists at Tile.net - Lists but this site has few, if any, related to our types of laser discussions (unless you are interested in laser eye surgery). But never fear, there *are* others available.

The following are some general laser listservers with information on the charters and how to subscribe:

• The Lasers List hosted by Neurotica.com.

  This list is dedicated to all aspects of lasers from home construction to light show hardware and software. Join by sending email to Majordomo@neurotica.com with "subscribe lasers your_email_address" (without the "". Your email address may be omitted if it is the one your are using to send the request) in the body of the message.

• Laser Reflector (Amateur radio laser communications).

  Anyone with an interest in laser communications is welcome to join. You don't need to be a ham radio operator. See the section: Amateur Laser Communications for more info.

Laser and Optics Related Links

Searching for Laser Information on the Web

USENET newsgroup postings for the last several years can also be searched via Google Groups (formerly Deja.com/Dejanews). While there are other public USENET archives, although the name keeps changing, Google Groups probably has the largest and most reliable newsgroup coverage and goes back the farthest (to 1995). Thus I see little reason to use other archives which may come and go and provide more sporatic coverage.

Private discussion groups and technical forums often have searchable archives as well. See the section: Newsgroups, Discussion Groups and Technical Forums, Listservers

The sections that follow provide links to many other laser related sites with the first of these being a Webring currently under development. This should be of particular interest to the hobbyist and experimenter.

Several hundred links have been accumulated over time from various USENET newsgroups, other discussion groups and technical forums, Net searches, links found at other Web sites, and private email. They are loosely grouped by the type of information provided but are otherwise only in somewhat more-or-less alphabetical order.

(Also see: Sam's Neat, Nifty, and Handy Bookmarks for additional Web site listings.)

The Laser, Optics, and Holography Ring

The Laser, Optics, and Holography Ring brings together Websites that either are about lasers, optics and holography, or contain information in related areas. It was developed, and is owned and managed by Flavio Spedalieri (fspedalieri@nightlase.com.au) of Nightlase Technologies.

• The Laser, Optics, and Holography Ring Homepage
• Enter The Sam's Laser FAQ Portal of The Laser, Optics, and Holography Ring

Laser Related Web Sites and Links