In a single generation, we have come to take for granted how the transistor and its offspring, the integrated circuit, have transformed our lives. From our laptop to our iPod, from X-Box to TIVO, solid-state devices have created new markets and liberated old ones. Vacuum tubes and CRTs have become electronic fossils in only 25 years. These tiny, solid-state devices seem to last forever, use virtually no energy and can be relied upon to work under even the most taxing conditions.
Now, solid-state UV emitters, such as UV LEDs, UV laser diodes or Semiconductor Light Matrix (SLM) technology promise to alter the discussion of how UV materials are cured in a manner similar to the way the microwave oven has transformed the way we talk about cooking. Just as a bowl of popcorn may look and taste identical when cooked either way, so will UV coatings look and perform identically whether cured with conventional medium-pressure mercury lamps or with solid-state devices. This will also require a new language when we describe the UV process, since it is just as inappropriate to describe cure in terms of watts/inch as it is to ask at what temperature the microwave oven needs to be set for popping.