EETimes.com - Brown researchers claim first silicon laser

EETimes.com - Brown researchers claim first silicon laser: "Researchers from Brown University have created what they believe is the first directly pumped silicon laser, a breakthrough that they say could eventually help to make faster, more powerful computers or fiber optic networks.
According to Brown, scientists have fashioned lasers since 1960 from substances ranging from neon to sapphire. But the structure of silicon would not allow for the proper line-up of electrons to emit light. "