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Lasers
What Is Photonics?Photonics is the study of light and other types of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The impact of photonics on research, technology, navigation, culture, astronomy, forensics, and health care have helped shape the 20th century, and...
Fiber Lasers: Continuing to Power GrowthEarly fiber lasers were inefficient and limited to low powers, until more effective methods emerged to deliver the pump light into the cladding. Valentin Gapontsev, founder and CEO of IPG Photonics, is credited with pioneering the use of distributed...
Silicon Photonics: Light Is the Ultimate Medium for High-Speed CommunicationsSilicon photonics is widely considered a key enabling technology for further development of optical interconnect solutions needed to address growing traffic on the internet. From the first submarine optical cable to the fiber-to-home deployment to...
Industrial Lasers: An Introduction to Process QualificationThere is a big step from successfully demonstrating a new laser process on a limited number of samples under laboratory conditions, to scaling that process up for high-volume industrial use. In particular, it’s necessary to determine how variations...
QCL Primer: History, Characteristics, ApplicationsThe versatility of quantum cascade lasers makes them a good choice for the mid-infrared region. Since its first successful operation in 1960 at Hughes Research Labs, the laser technology has been at the center of innovation and research....
Laser Measurement Systems: Best PracticesGiven the pace at which technology advances, there always seems to be a learning curve. With the abundance of consumer electronics available, there typically is no right or wrong way to use these devices β€” the choice usually comes down to the method...
Laser Safety: Important ConsiderationsWhen purchasing an industrial laser system, the astute buyer will look for a Class 1 laser product β€” a system where the laser beam hazard is completely enclosed and there is no potential laser radiation exposure to the operator or anyone in the...
Laser Operation: Temperature Control and Mount SelectionThe best choices will help you manage the heat generated by laser operation and ensure a robust laser system. As you operate your laser, only a portion of the electrical power sourced from your laser driver converts to light energy.
Powering Lasers: Evaluating Bench Power SuppliesSupplying power to a laser is delicate work because lasers are extremely sensitive and easily damaged. A single pulse of excessive current, lasting only a few microseconds, can overheat and damage the light-emitting facets of a laser diode. While a...
Diode-Pumped Lasers: Performance, Reliability Enhance ApplicationsThe latest technology advances take diode-pumped solid-state lasers into new realms of power and wavelength, enabling many new applications. Neodymium-doped crystals and glasses such as Nd:YAG (neodymium:yttrium aluminum garnet) have long been used...
Lasers: Understanding the BasicsAlthough lasers range from quantum-dot to football-field size and utilize materials from free electrons to solids, the underlying operating principles are always the same. This article provides the basic information about how and why lasers work.
The Photonics Spectrum Reference ChartThe photonics spectrum reference chart displays the major commercial laser lines in the ultraviolet to the far-infrared and beyond.
Excimer Lasers: Photonic Stamps with Micron ResolutionRepresenting today’s most cost-effective and dependable UV lasers, excimer lasers enable disruptive innovation in various growth industries. Excimers are pulsed gas lasers that deliver high output power and pulse energies in the ultraviolet...
Laser Beam Measurement: Slit-Based Profilers for Pulsed BeamsAlthough slit-based profilers were designed to measure continuous-wave (CW) lasers, they can also work for pulsed-mode lasers. Measuring pulsed-beam lasers has generally required the use of a CCD array profiler. This is a reasonable solution for...
Laser Diodes: Specification GuidelinesWhile some design engineers know exactly what they need from their laser diode, others may choose a partner to navigate what can be a complex development process. Laser diode manufacturers...
Laser Perforation: The Diffractive Beamsplitter AdvantagePerforated thin sheets of material are required in many applications, including plastic and metal sheets in the packing industry, cartons and metal foil that enable easy tear-off, filters for cigarettes, tubes for liquid or gas drainage, and...
Nd:YAG Lasers: Standing the Test of TimeThe Nd:YAG laser crystal was developed not long after the discovery of the ruby laser in the 1960s. Of all the solid-state laser crystals, it has stood the test of time best. Its high gain, narrow linewidth, low threshold and physical properties...
Tunable Lasers: Generating Wavelengths from the UV Through the IRMany lasers allow the operator to tune or change the output wavelength from the UV to the IR on demand. Applications facilitated by tunable lasers can be divided into two basic categories. The first are situations where one or more discrete...
Driving Diode Lasers: A Straightforward ProcedureObserving the basic principles and understanding the physical behavior of diode lasers helps users operate them correctly and safely. By observing a few simple rules that govern diode lasers’ properties, driving them loses much of its mystery....
Beam Diagnostics: Meeting the Need for High QualityWhether the application is scientific, commercial, industrial or medical, beam diagnostics has become an integral tool for users and manufacturers of lasers and laser-based systems. There is an increasing need to achieve, monitor and maintain higher...
CO2 Lasers: The Industrial WorkhorseFour decades ago, the first industrial use of lasers was for drilling through diamonds or wire draw dies. From that beginning the laser has become an integral part of the conventional technology in many production plants. In the forefront of that...
Laser Applications Tables
Laser Scanning Systems: Optimizing PerformanceLaser scanning technology is employed in a variety of applications, each of which has specific requirements for speed, accuracy, cost and reliability. To obtain optimal performance from a laser scanning system, the system integrator must carefully...
Solid-State Lasers: Lower Noise Means Higher PerformanceOptimizing the power and repetition rate of pulsed solid-state lasers allows materials processing at high resolution and high speed, a condition made possible by advances in intracavity harmonic generation. Many linear materials proceseqsing...
Semiconductor Lasers: An Overview of Commercial DevicesWithin only a few decades, the semiconductor laser diode has evolved into a family of robust, reliable devices, with individual conversion efficiencies of better than 60 percent, continuous output powers of several kilowatts, modulation rates of...
The VCSEL Advantage: Increased Power, Efficiency Bring New ApplicationsVertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) differ from edge-emitting lasers in that their output beam is perpendicular to the top surface of the device instead of parallel to it.
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