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Resources / ApplicationNotes / Lasers / FundamentalsofLasers

LaserDamageThresholdTesting

FundamentalsofLasers
HowDoTheyWork?

Learnaboutlaserdamagethreshold
(LDT)toensuresuperiorresultsand
longproductlifetimeandtoavoid
damagetoyourlaseroptics.

Thebasicstructureofanylaserisbasedonanactivemedium(eitheragasorsemiconductor)

GaussianBeamsCalculator

containedbetweentworeflectors.Alaser'sreflectorscontainlightbyoscillatingitthrougha

UseourGaussianBeamsCalculatorto

mediumrepeatedlyallowingtheenergytobuildupwitheachpass.Laserradiationescapesduetoa

determinebeamspotsizeinfreespace

partiallyreflectingmirrorintheassembly.Thislightcanbeusedforavarietyofapplications.

applications.

ElementsofaLaser
BeamSize:Thebeamsizereferstothediameterofthelaserbeam,measuredattheexitfaceofthelaserhousing.SeeFigure
1.

LaserMirrors
Checkoutour
selectionoflaser
mirrorsforarangeof
lasertypes,includingNd:YAG,

BeamDivergence:Thebeamdivergenceisthespecificationthatdefineshowmuchthebeamspreadsoutoverdistance.

excimer,argonion,laserdiode,or

Beamdivergenceisdefinedbythefullangle.Indiodesbeamdivergenceisspecifiedwithtwovaluesbecauseofthepresenceof

Ti:Sapphire.

astigmatism(seeDiodesvs.HeNe).
Lasers
VarietyofDPSS,
diode,gas,or
semiconductorlasers,
aswellaslaseraccessoriesfor
measuring,positioning,barcode
scanning,lifesciences,ormachine
visionapplications.
TheComplexitiesofHighPower
OpticalCoatings
Standardcoatingsmaynotwithstand
thehighintensityirradiationoflaser
basedapplications.Highpoweroptical
FanAngle:Theangleproducedbyaccessorylineorpatterngenerators.SeeFigure2.
OutputPower:Theoutputpowerspecifiedisthemaximumpowervalueofthelaserlightafterthebeamexitsthelaser
housinginotherwords,powerisratedafterpassingthrough(butnotbefore)anyoptics.Valuesstatedaretypicallywithin
+/10%.ThelightintensityhasaGaussianprofilemeaningitishighestatthecenterofthebeamanddissipatesoutwards.
Class:ThisistheCDRH(CenterforDevicesandRadiologicalHealth)warninglabelrequiredonalllaserproducts.Theclass
designation(II,IIIa,orIIIb)correspondstothemaximumamountoflaserradiationemittedfromthelaserataspecific
wavelength.
Detectability/Visibility:Thevisibilityofthelaserspot(whenviewedbyyoureyeoranotherdetector)dependsonthesignal
tonoiseratio(SNR).SNRistheratioofsignalpower(laserenergy)tothenoise(backgroundnonlaserillumination).Higher
SNRmeansthatthelaserspotismoredetectable.Forvisualapplications,keepinmindthatthecloserto550nm(green)the
laserwavelengthis,thebrighteritwillappear.Indetectorapplications,usefilteringtoincreaseyourSNRandperhapsutilize
alenstolimitfieldofview.Laserwavelengthsshouldalsobeselectedtobestmatchadetector'sresponsivity.

Lifetime:Powersuppliesshouldbeselectedtorunatthelowestvoltagepossibletoextendlifetime.Heatsinksare
recommendedandmustbeusedifoperatingnearmaximumvoltages.Maintainingadiodeatthelowendoftheoperating
temperaturerangecanalsoextendthelifetime.Diodemodulestypicallyhavealifetimeof10,000to20,000hourscompared
tothe100,000hourtypicallifetimeofthediodecomponent.

coatingsaretheanswer.

Figure1:LaserDiode

Figure2:LaserDiodeModule

LaserAccessories
PatternGenerators:LasersinherentlyhaveaGaussianprofile(seeOutputPower).Conventional
refractiveoptics,suchascylinderlenses,donotcorrectforthisalthoughsometechniquescanbe
usedtoobtainverygoodperformancewithrefractiveoptics.Diffractiveopticscanreducetheoften
cumbersomeGaussianprofileoflinegenerators(seeFigure2).

SpatialFilters:Thesearedesignedto"cleanup"thelaserbeambyfilteringoutmultipleorder
energy.TheresultingbeamintensitystillhasaGaussianprofile.

LaserOptics:Withhigherpoweredlasers,itisimportanttoconsiderlaseroptics(lensesand
mirrors).Opticswithlowersurfacequalitymaybedamagedbyinternalfocusingofthelaserbeam.

LaserMeasurementDevices:Avarietyofpowermeters,viewers,detectorcards,andother
meansofcharacterizingyourlaserareavailableinourcatalog.

BeamExpanders:Thesearedesignedtoprovidelargerdiametercollimatedbeamsandcanalsobe
usedtodecreasespotsizeatlargedistances.

MountingandPositioningLaserDiodes
MountingOptions:Thereareseveraloptionsformountingandpositioninglasers.DiodescanbeheldusingourDiode
Mount,whichisconvenientbecauseitoffersaballandsocketaimingadjustmentandadaptsto20threading.However,
diodescanalsobeheldinourVmountblocks,whicharetraditionallyusedforHeNelasers.OurtwinringLaserHolderscan
alsobeusedforHeNecylindricallasers.Thelasershouldbeheatsinkedwheneverpossible(especiallysincemostdiodesare
temperaturesensitive).
AlignmentandPositioning:Alllasersinherentlyhaveanassociatedtoleranceforalignment(pointing)accuracy.Pointing
accuracyisameasureoftheangulardifferencebetweenthepropagatingaxis(wherethelaserlightispointing)andthe
mechanicalaxis(wherethehousingispointing).Makesurethatthemounthastheadjustmenttotakesomeofthose
tolerancesintoconsideration.

Note:Tomeasurethepointingaccuracyofyourlaser,simplyspinthehousing(thisisbestattemptedonaVblockofsome
sort).Thespotwilltraceacircleatacertaindistance.BymeasuringthedistanceDandradiusR(seeillustration),wecan
calculatetheangleofthepointingerror.Simplymountthehousingatthatangletoinsurethatthelaserpropagationis
accuratelyaligned.

LaserDiodesvs.HeliumNeonLasers
"WhenisaHeNemoresuitablethanadiodeorviceversa?"Theanswertothisquestionisapplicationdependant.Theeasiest
waytomakeaninformeddecisionistounderstandtheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofeachtypeoflaser,basedonyour
needs.Thefollowingtableoffersacomparisonoftypicalspecificationsandpropertycharacteristicsofthelasersweoffer.

HeliumNeon

Diode

CommonWavelengths

543nm,594nm,612nm,632nm

532nm,635nm,670nm,780nm,830nm

Size(housing)

Large,replacementisdifficult

Compact,replacement/repairiseasy

BeamSize

~0.51mm(circular)

~4x1mm(astigmatic/elliptical)

OutputPower

0.2530mW(min.valuesstated)

125mW,somemodulated(max.values
stated)

BeamDivergence

~12mrad(circular)

~0.5x1mrad(astigmatic/elliptical)

PowerModulation/Pulsing

Modulatedpoweruncommon

Severalspecialtyversionsareavailable

PowerStability/Noise

Stableversionsavailable

Typicallynoisy

Cost

Highcost(longlifetime)

Lowcost(usuallyeasilyreplaceable)

Lifetime

1040,000hrs(dependingontype)

1020,000hrs(dependingontype)

SensitivitytoEnvironment

Nottypicallytemperaturesensitive

Wavelength/lifetimechangesslightly
withtemperature(useheatsinks)

AccessoriesAvailable

PatternGenerator
(refractive/defractive),BeamExpanders,
andmanymore.Manyaccessoriesare
interchangeablewithbezeladapter.

Focusing,PatternGenerator
(refractive/defractive),andmanymore.
Interchangeabilityistypicallylimitedto
thediode'soriginalconfiguration.

Astigmatism:Divergence
differenceforthexandyaxis

Yieldscircularspotwhenfocused,and
thespotblurssymmetricallyinandout
fromfocus

Yieldscircularspotwhenfocusedandthe
spotblurselliptically(orthogonal
orientationinandoutfrombestfocus)

CoherenceLength:
Usedinholography,
interferometry

Longcoherencelength(~23m)

Shortcoherencelength(afew
millimeters)

Polarization:
Importantifopticalpathisfolded

Availableinrandomandlinear
polarization

Mostarehighlypolarized

Integration

Easytopluginpowersupplyincluded

Manycomewithwireleads(optional
powersuppliesareavailable)

TypicalApplications

Holography,Interferometry,Metrology

Alignment,MachineVision,Scanning,
Sensing(go/nogo)
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