Printed laser technology has anti-counterfeit potential

A detection device which uses printed lasers to identify counterfeit goods has been developed by UK researchers.

Devised by a team led by Dr Damian Gardiner, the anti-fraud detector demonstrates an approach which could be employed to identify fake pharmaceuticals and currency, as well as other high-value goods. 

It works by exploiting an existing method for printing liquid crystal lasers with inkjet printers. This gives the user a very precise level of control over the laser's pattern and colour combination.

The detector takes advantage of this by shining a second, laser pulse on to the printed one. It then reads the wavelength of the light emission from the printed laser through a dedicated software, and reproduces that reading as a pattern on a spectrograph.

The result is that each printed laser can be designed to give out its own, unique optical signature. Because lasers can be printed on to all sorts of surfaces – such as plastic, paper, metal and glass – the technique could be used to authenticate a wide range of products.



"Every year, hundreds of thousands of people are sold fake pharmaceuticals under the mistaken belief that they will help them, while counterfeit products cost companies hundreds of billions of pounds," Dr Gardiner said.

"We think that our printed lasers could be used to protect both products and people."

The detector is one of a number of innovations covered in a new report by the Cambridge Innovation and Knowledge Centre (CIKC), which has been developing advanced manufacturing technologies for photonics and electronics.