英国Cascade Technology
英国Cascade Technology公司是量子级联激光器的领导厂商，量子级联激光器是一种新型的半导体激光器，其最大的特点是波长在红外区域连续可调，是一种非常理想的高分辨率、低噪音的光源，由于是半导体激光器，具有很好的耐用性，工作温度可以在零下50度到70度之间，工作寿命可以达到15年以上。根据其特点，产品目前在环境气体检测以及爆炸物检测方面具有很好的应用前景。
The development of the technology started in 1999 when an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) grant was awarded to University of Strathclyde Physics and Applied Physics to carry out research into the use of Quantum Cascade Lasers for gas sensing applications. During the research, Erwan Normand identified that a commercial opportunity existed, which led to the identification of the IP. The patent was applied for in April 2002 in the UK and was extended in April 2003 to gain worldwide coverage.