• Bright future predicted for diode-laser market

    The worldwide market for diode lasers with wavelengths less than 1 µm will exceed $1.2 billion by the year 2000, according to a recent report by Strategies Unlimited (Mountain View, CA), an optoelectronics-industry market-research firm and cohost with Laser Focus World of the 1997 Laser Marketplace Seminar. The report, Laser Diode Market Review and Forecast--1996, analyzes the market for diode lasers in 29 nontelecommunications applications from 1995 to 2000. Driven primarily by the demand f
    Dec. 1, 1996

    Bright future predicted for diode-laser market

    The worldwide market for diode lasers with wavelengths less than 1 µm will exceed $1.2 billion by the year 2000, according to a recent report by Strategies Unlimited (Mountain View, CA), an optoelectronics-industry market-research firm and cohost with Laser Focus World of the 1997 Laser Marketplace Seminar. The report, Laser Diode Market Review and Forecast--1996, analyzes the market for diode lasers in 29 nontelecommunications applications from 1995 to 2000. Driven primarily by the demand for new digital videodisk and computer high-speed CD-ROMs, the market will increase from $486 million in 1995 to $1.24 billion by 2000. According to Strategies Unlimited, the future holds promise for even shorter-wavelength blue-green (420-520-nm) devices. The blue-green diode laser should appear in high-density optical-storage applications by the end of the decade. Although there are 34 manufacturers of diode lasers worldwide, just nine companies account for 97% of the 1995 revenue. The majority of low-power diode lasers (<10 mW) are supplied by Japanese firms, while North American companies have taken a leading role in the high-power diode-laser market (>100 mW).
    Sign up for Laser Focus World Newsletters
    Get the latest news and updates.

    Voice Your Opinion!

    To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Laser Focus World, create an account today!