• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.435-450
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• 2006

Free electron lasers (FELs) are promising sources of coherent radiation that can provide users with radiations having a wide-range frequency-tunability and good spectral characteristics for basic science and industrial applications. Especially in Terahertz or X-ray ranges of spectrum, FELs can generate much stronger radiations than conventional light sources. In this paper, we introduce the working principles and key technologies of FELs, the status and the prospects of FEL developments.