ABSTRACT
Perhaps the most well-known example of solid-state optical devices is the laser and, with the widespread use of CDs, DVDs and laser printers, lasers have become commonplace. Of interest to the solid-state chemist are two types of laser, typied by the ruby laser and the gallium arsenide laser. Because laser light is more easily modulated than light from other sources, it is increasingly used for sending information; light travelling along optical bres replacing electrons travelling along wires in, for example, telecommunications. To transmit light over long distances, the optical bres must have particular absorption and refraction properties, and the development of suitable substances has become an important area of research.
