One of the first applications for Photodigm’s single frequency, diffraction limited DBR lasers was second harmonic generation (SHG) for an RGB laser projection module. This was in the days around 2004 when the big box consumer electronics showrooms were filled with large rear projection televisions. Laser projection was seen as a way to compete against the svelte but expensive flat panel models. The low etendue of the diffraction limited laser beam would compress the optical path, and the semiconductor scalability of laser diodes offered an economic competitor to the short-lived high intensity discharge lamps that illuminated most of the volume on the showroom floor.  After all, the lamp was the costliest and least reliable element of the BOM in those sets of the early 2000’s. 

From the Photodigm mission statement: