Posted on October 12, 2004 at 11:20 a.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEE) in the United Kingdom has named University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) professor of physics Sergey Mirov, Ph.D., research associate Vladimir Federov, Ph.D., and graduate fellows Igor Moskalev and Keith Graham, recipients of the Snell Premium award for their paper on microchip lasers titled “Diode and fiber pumped Cr²⁺:ZnS mid-IR external cavity and microchip lasers,” which was recently published in the IEE Optoelectronics Journal.

The Snell Premium is an annual award presented to the outstanding paper in the IEE Optoelectronics Journal and is a peer-recommended award. This is important international recognition for the laser research conducted in the UAB Department of Physics in collaboration with researchers in the United States, Austria and Russia, said Mirov, the paper’s lead author.

Mirov said this technology will have a positive impact on medical, environmental, scientific and counter-terrorism applications. These include surgical laser scalpels, non-invasive blood glucose monitoring, measurement of medically important molecular compounds in the exhaled breath of patients, industrial process controls, as well as detection of explosives, chemical and biological warfare agents.

“The technology reported in this paper meets the need for a low-cost, reliable mid-infrared laser,” Mirov said. “The team successfully demonstrated the first fiber and diode pumpable microchip lasers based on chromium doped zinc sulfide semiconductor material. The laser operates at room temperature with high efficiency. Its output covers a broad mid-infrared spectral range important for numerous practical applications.”

The team will accept their award in London, January 13, 2005.