Tiny 'YAHOO' sign highlights unique laser technology at University of Calgary

Going super-small for Stampede A group of scientists have made a microscopic attempt to make something special for Stampede. Stephanie Wiebe reports.

While bright red block letters reading 'YAHOO' have popped up across the city, researchers of at the University of Calgary have recreated their own version on a micro-scale.

Now that everyone is getting into the western spirit for the Calgary Stampede, researchers at the Microsystems Hub with the Schulich School of Engineering thought it was the perfect time to highlight their special laser technology.

“We wanted to showcase the abilities of the laser system that we have which is unique in Canada and is used for making very small things,” said director Colin Dalton. “Very small things are taking over our lives. Everything is miniaturized and portable.”

As a result of using the highly concentrated light, the team of researchers has been able to etch the slogan millions of times smaller, right into tiny chips of silicon, with the word smaller than the width of a strand of hair.

The University of Calgary is the only school in the province equipped with laser technology tools and researchers also work on medical and computer projects presented from across Canada as part of a burgeoning market for tiny technology.

Microsystems Hub's other clients work in veterinary medicine, kinesiology, chemistry and astronomy.