Japanese scientists claim to have a come a step closer to a laser technology that could be used one day in optical integrated circuits.

According to an article published in Optics Express, researchers of the Yokohama National University in Japan have built a highly efficient nanometer-scale laser that can produce stable, continuous streams of near-infrared laser light. What makes the device special is the fact that it can create a stable laser output at room temperature. Typically, even a slightly warm environment contains enough noise to overwhelm the laser light-producing process.

The device, described to have a width of a few microns, while the part of the device that actually produces laser light has dimensions at the nanometer scale in all directions, has been made from gallium indium arsenide phosphate (GaInAsP). According to the scientists, the device operates at a power consumption of 1 microwatt and could be useful in future “miniaturized circuits containing optical devices.”