The object
The semiconductor laser uses engineered quantum wells to emit mid-infrared light, providing compact sources for sensing, spectroscopy and industrial measurement that conventional lasers could not efficiently supply. The device architecture turned semiconductor physics into a compact, deployable measurement source.
01
What Federico did
Co-invented the quantum-cascade laser with Jérôme Faist and colleagues.
02
Why it matters
Quantum-cascade lasers created a major commercial class of semiconductor light source.
03
Living-status check
Harvard's March 2026 faculty profile identifies Capasso as a current professor.