White Light UV Laser Could Replace Current Lighting: “The first ultraviolet (UV) solid-state microcavity laser has been

demonstrated in prototype by scientists at the Department of Energy’s

Sandia National Laboratories, working with colleagues at Brown University.

Among their benefits, UV VCSELS (vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers)

coated with phosphors can generate the white light most prized for indoor

lighting — illumination currently provided by gas-filled fluorescent tubes

widely used in offices, schools, factories, and by incandescent bulbs used

in most homes.

Such solid-state emitters will last five to ten times longer than fluorescent

tubes, be far hardier, and perhaps most noticeably, grouped several

hundred to a postage-sized chip, will have aesthetic value: instead of a

single clunky tube, the chips will be arranged in any configuration one might

wish on ceiling, wall, or furniture.”