What happens if laser source is broken or damaged?

[kenny1999]

For example, rare though, the laser glass inside a DVD/VCD player which used to read the disc is broken, or the laser glass under the wireless mouse is broken due to heavy drop or accident. First, is it easy to happen? Second, are those chemicals used for laser sources hazardous? I know that laser beam cannot be created without exciting some atoms.

[swansont]

The mouse is likely using just a plain LED.

The CD/DVD uses a laser diode, so similar solid-state technology, but with cleaved surfaces to act as mirrors to make the optical cavity. It’s a solid, so there’s nothing that’s going to leak. 

The diodes themselves are pretty shock resistant, but there’s wiring that could break, or the laser alignment could shift.

[kenny1999]

On 8/24/2022 at 7:21 PM, swansont said:

The mouse is likely using just a plain LED.

The CD/DVD uses a laser diode, so similar solid-state technology, but with cleaved surfaces to act as mirrors to make the optical cavity. It’s a solid, so there’s nothing that’s going to leak. 

The diodes themselves are pretty shock resistant, but there’s wiring that could break, or the laser alignment could shift.

Aren't some wireless mouse operated by laser? I'm hearing "laser mouse" very often.

[swansont]

54 minutes ago, kenny1999 said:

Aren't some wireless mouse operated by laser? I'm hearing "laser mouse" very often.

Apparently so; I’d not run across it until now. Same issue as for DVD/CD players, most likely. You might break a wire or mess up the lens positioning.

[kenny1999]

18 minutes ago, swansont said:

Apparently so; I’d not run across it until now. Same issue as for DVD/CD players, most likely. You might break a wire or mess up the lens positioning.

break a wire? What is the wire?

[swansont]

12 hours ago, kenny1999 said:

break a wire? What is the wire?

This is a picture of a laser diode with the protective housing removed. The picture scale is less than 1 cm across. You can see tiny wires going to the laser and to its substrate - this puts the voltage across it and allows current to flow. These can break. There are also wires leading from the power supply to the laser assembly. These could possibly break, too

[kenny1999]

1 hour ago, swansont said:

This is a picture of a laser diode with the protective housing removed. The picture scale is less than 1 cm across. You can see tiny wires going to the laser and to its substrate - this puts the voltage across it and allows current to flow. These can break. There are also wires leading from the power supply to the laser assembly. These could possibly break, too

but the atoms used to produce laser shouldn't leak under daily stresses and should be safe most of the time, am I right?

[swansont]

1 hour ago, kenny1999 said:

but the atoms used to produce laser shouldn't leak under daily stresses and should be safe most of the time, am I right?

It's a solid state device. There's no liquid or gas to leak.

[CrystalMagic]

Say lasers with rubies are used in our time? Or are they all in the past?

Edited January 27, 2023 by CrystalMagic