MisterBill2
- Joined Jan 23, 2018
- 27,611
One other rather brutal fact that may not have been mentioned is that Gallium ARSENIDE is rather deadly toxic. In fact, a whole lot of the chemicals and gasses used in the semiconductor business are very toxic, as in "breath once and die" toxic. Totally aside from the vacuum chambers and pumps and a whole lot of expensive hardware there is that toxic chemicals problem. But if you really want to make a laser, get the rod of laser material and build the assembly with a lot of laser diodes to pump the big laser crystal. That works, and it is not toxic, and nobody will have a clue what you are going to use the parts you buy for. And if done right you will have a laser strong enough to burn small holes in people and things and be quite dangerous. But not at all toxic!