ABSTRACT
There are a number of scientific and technological applications for which tunable ultraviolet (UV) solid-state laser sources are already or will soon be well suited. These include in environmental sciences, for the detection of pollutants and biological hazards in the atmosphere as well as measurements and control of various climatic parameters (see Chapter 13). In medicine the applications are in ophthalmology and biotechnologies for which broad-band laser sources can be used for the production of ultra-short excitation light pulses. Other important needs also exist in the fields of photolithography (see Chapter 6); material processing with, for example, the deposition of thin films; and in information technology, with high-density optical storage.
