From the Photodigm mission statement:

 In its January 2011 review and forecast of the laser industry, Laser Focus World projected worldwide commercial laser revenues of $7.05 billion, of which about $3.3 billion are laser diodes.  The article goes on to provide an extensive discussion into where and how these lasers are used.  By comparing the forecasts for 2011 with those of preceding years, one is able to gain a perspective of larger trends and external factors affecting the laser business.

Our customers specify Photodigm precision lasers for many reasons, including their narrow linewidth, tunability, spectroscopy-certified frequency, stability, and pulsing characteristics, among others.  To meet the requirements of our customers, Photodigm offers our lasers in several package types, including free space and fiber-coupled designs.  The optimal package depends on how it is used.

One of the main applications of Photodigm DBR lasers is absorption spectroscopy.  In this application, the laser is tuned by varying either current or temperature to sweep the narrow bandwidth output across an absorption line of a species of interest.  Tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) can be used to establish a precise frequency reference when the laser output is locked to an atomic transition.  Because these electronic transitions are sensitive to minute perturbations in their physical environment, these frequency references can be used as the basis for atomic clocks, gyros, magnetometers, and gravimeters. TDLAS can also be used to monitor changes in concentration of absorption species, such as O₂ or I₂. 

Laser products follow a remarkably consistent trajectory.  They start out as large research systems with substantial functionality and flexibility.  They fill the optical table.  These include Ti:sapphire lasers, Ar-ion lasers, YAG lasers, and CO2 lasers. They also include hybrid semiconductor designs, such as external cavity lasers (ECLs) and volume Bragg lasers (VBGs).  As specific applications are developed, specific functionality becomes more important as the researcher optimizes the experiment.  As engineers develop products from these experiments, the requirements expand to include ruggedness and cost.  The laser component may start out as a large system, but it inevitably ends up as a high volume semiconductor.  Examples include optical storage lasers (CDs and DVDs) and telecom lasers.  As volumes go up semiconductor economics enters in, costs drop, and high volume products are enabled.