Lasers operating at visible wavelengths are the focus of a £3.8 million (about $7.5 million) collaboration between Strathclyde and three other institutions.

The four-year project, also involving the Universities of St Andrews and Edinburgh and Imperial College, London, will see the development of lasers, consisting of organic semiconductor structures - effectively lasing plastics - which are interfaced to control electronics via familiar blue/green light-emitting diode (LED) technology.

These lasers are poised to have a major impact in areas as diverse as biosensing, communications and instrumentation.

Professor Martin Dawson, principal investigator for Strathclyde and co-ordinator of the project, said: “We are delighted to have this opportunity to contribute to continued UK leadership in organic and hybrid organic/inorganic optoelectronics.

“Our near-term goal is to produce components consisting of single-emitter organic lasers on blue LEDs in a form suitable for volume manufacture. Longer-term goals are to demonstrate optoelectronic interfaces and integrated circuits involving multiple laser and LED elements.