Average power meter for laser radiation

Elena I. Shevninaa, Anton A. Maraevb, Gennady G. Ishaninb,

a
Intertec-R, LLC., 11 Vitebskiy pr., St. Petersburg, Russia, 196105; bITMO University, Dept. of Optical-Electronic
Devices and Systems, 49 Kronverkskiy pr., St. Petersburg, Russia, 197101.

ABSTRACT
Advanced metrology equipment, in particular an average power meter for laser radiation, is necessary for effective using
of laser technology. In the paper we propose a measurement scheme with periodic scanning of a laser beam. The scheme
is implemented in a pass-through average power meter that can perform continuous monitoring during the laser operation
in pulse mode or in continuous wave mode and at the same time not to interrupt the operation. The detector used in the
device is based on the thermoelastic effect in crystalline quartz as it has fast response, long-time stability of sensitivity,
and almost uniform sensitivity dependence on the wavelength.
Keywords: power meter, thermoelastic effect in crystalline quartz, laser power measurement

1. INTRODUCTION
There is a set of processes that needs continuous monitoring during the laser operation, as in pulse mode as in continuous
wave mode, and at the same time requires not to interrupt the operation. In the most of industrial applications the power
of laser is high enough, of order of 1000 W. Depending on the application domain the design of power meters is based
on different principles and physical phenomena.
As the laser to measure is powerful, the measurement must be made by a portion of light. Attenuation of power may be
made by an absorber or by splitting a laser beam with a defined ratio.
In the paper we propose a measurement scheme with periodic scanning. The scanning is effected by a narrow mirror that
rotates relative to the axis perpendicular to the original beam and thus reflects the beam being measured. The advantage
of the system is ability to work at high radiation flux densities, it does not have chromatism index for the reflected beam.
In the paper we call the system based on the described principle a pass-through average power meter1, as it lets the laser
beam pass the measuring system almost not attenuated.
Usually receivers used in power meters are inertial, e.g. calorimeter, so it makes all the system inertial. We propose to
use a detector based on thermoelastic effect in crystalline quartz (TEQ) as it has fast response, long-time stability of
sensitivity, and sensitivity dependence on the wavelength is almost uniform. The large linearity range of light
characteristic of this receiver allows using it in average power meters for laser radiation.
Photodetectors based on the thermoelastic effect2,3 are developed for laser energy measurement in the single pulse mode
or average power measurement, and are used in energy monitoring systems of industrial harmonically modulated lasers.
To provide the repeatability of a technological process there is a need for monitoring means that are highly stable in time
and resistant to excessive radiation.
The paper is organized as follows. First, we consider the principle of thermoelastic effect and define parameters of
detectors based on it. Further we consider the scheme of pass-through power meter and calculate the parameters of the
reflector.

2. DETECTOR BASED ON THERMOELASTIC EFFECT IN CRYSTALLINE QUARTZ AND ITS

PARAMETERS
The detector based on the thermoelastic effect in crystalline quartz (TEQ) is intended for power measurement of lasers in
pulse or harmonically modulated mode in wide irradiance range4,5. As the TEQ is a thermal detector, before the voltage
proportional to the incident flux is generated at the output, the flux itself has a series of consequential transformations
inside the detector first. Quartz is not a pyroelectric material so physical principle of the potential difference generation
is another: it is caused by the thermoelastic effect. Let us consider the principle of TEQ work.

Optical Sensing and Detection IV, edited by Francis Berghmans, Anna G. Mignani, Proc. of SPIE
Vol. 9899, 98992R · © 2016 SPIE · CCC code: 0277-786X/16/$18 · doi: 10.1117/12.2228813

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 The Figure 1 shows the sensitive element that consists of a thin (near 0.1 mm) plate 3 of X-cut crystalline quartz, this
plate being glued to the heat removal plate-damper 4. The front surface of quartz plate is covered with current-
conducting nickel coating 2 and with blackened coating 1 that absorbs radiation in wide spectral range. From the
electrical point of view such system represents an analogue of a capacitor in which the crystalline quartz plate is a
dielectric, and metal damper and current-conducing coating are capacitor plates.
If the system is in mechanical and thermal equilibrium the potential difference is not generated on the capacitor plates. If
the detector surface 1 is exposed to an impulse, pulse-modulated or other non-stationary radiation flux, in the sensitive
element there is a non-stationary thermal field. The field is not stationary in time and space so it induces non-stationary
mechanical stresses in crystalline quartz that lead to a change of the polarization vector of quartz, and, as a result, to
electrical potential difference between the plates 2 and 4. A series of consequential energy transformations reduces
certainly its sensitivity. However, these transformations take place in crystalline quartz, the material that has stable
physical properties in wide irradiance range. It enables to get stable and linear TEQ characteristics.

Figure 1. The design of a TEQ

The relaxation time of an electron in the material absorbing the incident radiation is 10-11 sec, thus it doesn’t influence
frequency characteristics of the TEQ. The time constant of crystalline quartz as electromechanical converter is
10-13–10-14 sec. The process of energy transmission from the absorbing coat to the quartz plate via the electrode and heat
removing by the damper are the most inertial. These two processes define time constants of growth τgr and of drop τdr.
The potential difference on the detector is caused mainly by thermoelastic and mechanical stresses along the axis Y (see
Fig. 1). Mechanical stresses along the Z axis do not cause any potential difference because of the structural features of
the quartz crystalline lattice.
The amplitude characteristics of the detector is taken with a CO2 laser within the power range 10-3–5 W at modulation
frequency 1000 Hz. Theoretical analysis and experimental investigation show that potential difference in the crystalline
quartz plate induced by the incident radiation depends only on the incident flux power and does not depend on the area
of irradiance.
The amplitude-frequency characteristic of the TEQ was investigated when it was connected to a wide-band amplifier in
the modulation frequency range of 50-5000 Hz. It is represented in the Figure 2, where line 1 corresponds to calculated
values and dots 2 correspond to the measured values, U a is the amplitude value of the output voltage in relative units,
f is modulation frequency of radiation.

The value of the amplitude-frequency characteristic goes down with increase of modulation frequency up to 1 kHz. At
the point 1 kHz the value of amplitude-frequency characteristic is lower at 10% than it is at 50 Hz. From the point 1 kHz
the characteristic decreases more rapidly and at the frequency 5 kHz it is 50% of its initial value.
Spectral responsivity of a TEQ with absorbing nickel electrode without blackening is shown in the Figure 3.

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 Ca ori.relative
Ua(t), ea. units
100

50

0
0 0,1 0,2 0,5 1 10 20
f,f.kHz
xrn

Figure 2. Amplitude-frequency characteristic of a TEQ

1
S(λ) отн. ед.
0,9 Sλ(λ), relative units
0,8
0,7
0,6
0,5
0,4
0,3
0,2
0,1
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 λ, µm
λ, мкм
Figure 3. Spectral responsivity of a TEQ
The TEQ with nickel electrode has a spectral sensitivity range 0.4–0.15 μm, the radiation power being measured in quasi
continuous mode is 10-6–10 W/cm2 and 10-6–1 J in the pulse mode, the time constant is τ=10-5 sec, calibration error is
5%, readouts stability does not exceed 2%.
Let us consider a mode of the measuring device where energy or power of separate pulses of a sequence is measured.
This is a typical mode for systems for regulation at transient process stages, when it is necessary to have information
about energy of separate impulses in a pulse consequence, not just its average power. One of research lines is analysis of
peculiarities of signal generation by the TEQ at multiple impulse exposure. First, let us consider the operation of the
TEQ at single impulse exposure.

3. AVERAGE POWER METER DESIGN

The detector on the basis of thermoelastic effect in crystalline quartz has long-term stability of sensitivity with relatively
small dependence from the wavelength6,7. The light characteristic of the detector is linear on a wide range, that is why it
can be used in the pass-through average power meter of laser radiation.
The detector on the thermoelastic effect in crystalline quartz has a fast response. Using this detector as part of the pass-
through average power meter the measuring speed of the device can be raised.
In the designed pass-through average power meter of laser radiation a rotating mirror blade is used as beam splitter. The
rotating blade crosses the laser beam with a certain period, and when it crosses the beam, the mirror reflects a part of it
on the photosensitive area of the receiver.
When working with continuous laser radiation, every single scan of the beam splitter can be considered as a separate
independent measurement. The scan frequency can reach up to 10–15 Hz. This frequency though determines the
operating speed of the measuring device. The structural scheme of the pass-through average power meter of laser
radiation is shown in the Figure 4.

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 ED

MBS

TS
RS232

MMF MC

DP
MR MA SI

CP PS

Figure 4. Block diagram of the pass-through average power meter of laser radiation
There are the main parts of the pass-through average power meter of laser radiation in the block diagram (Figure.4):
MBS — mechanical beam splitter, ED — electric drive of the rotating beam splitter, TS — timing sensor, MMF —
mirror matching focon with diffuse reflective surface, MR — measuring receiver of radiation, MA — matching
amplifier, SI — synchronous integrator, MC — microсonverter, CP — control panel, DP — display panel, RS-232 —
communication unit with external devices, PS — power supply.
Radiation from an industrial laser falls on the input MBS window. Then it passes through the MBS output window with
a diaphragm and comes onto the working area of the process that it was intended for. Due to rotation of the scanning
mirror driven by the electric drive ED, after the output window of the mechanical beam splitter MBS there are periodic
pulses of radiation, as the beam is interrupted by the rotating mirror. These pulses are sent to the input of the mirror
matching focon MMF with diffuse reflective surface, and then to the measuring receiver of radiation MR. The radiation
pulses carrying information about laser radiation power, in the MR structure are converted into pulses of the electrical
signal, which is then goes via the matching amplifier MA and comes to the synchronous integrator SI. In synchronous
integrator a wanted signal is detected. Its value is proportional to the laser pulse energy at the output of the mechanical
beam splitter MBS. To suppress various noise the synchronous integrator SI switches to the active mode only having
received the signal from the timing sensor TS. The microconverter MC processes the information, and then transmits the
data of the average power to an external device via the RS-232 interface. The value of the average power is output on the
display panel DP. Sensitivity and averaging time of the current flux power value are regulated with the control panel CP.
In a common beam splitter the kinematic scheme contains a rotating part; rotation is made relative to an offset axis
parallel to the optical axes of a system. It is also necessary to take into account the main drawback of such construction –
vibrations, which are generated because of static and dynamic imbalance of the construction. These vibrations can be
attenuated by reducing of rotation speed, using of vibration absorbers in the kinematic scheme, designing a mechanically
rigid construction.
The optical scheme of the pass average power meter of laser radiation is shown in Figure 5. The radiation comes into the
system through the diaphragm 1. The flux is bended by two mirrors 2 and 3, which are mounted on the same base and
rotate relative to the same axis. For chemical stability and radiation endurance the mirrors are covered with nickel
coating. The flux goes out to the working system it is intended for via the diaphragm 4. The bended flux after passing
through the focon 8 with the diffuse reflecting surface comes onto the receiver 9.
One of the main requirements to this kind of beam splitter is providing of maximum transparency. If the transparency is
known, the beamsplitter ratio Кb can be calculated. In the designed system it is set 99%. Thus, the blade width is defined
by the beamsplitter ratio Кb=0,003. The effective angle size can be found from the relation
eff  360  К b  1.08 . (1)

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 As the blade has the angle of 45° with the beam axis, the angle size 1.08° corresponds to the angle size of the blade
projection on the plane perpendicular to the beam axis (Figure 6).
1 2 4

7
9

8 3 6

Figure 5. The optical scheme of the pass average power meter of laser radiation

laser beam direction

Z
4
Y X rotation axis
Z

Figure 6. Calculation of the top angle α2 of the blade ABO2.

Let us calculate the blade size (the ABO2 triangle). The projection of the blade in a plane perpendicular to the beam axis
is the ABO1 triangle (see Figure 6). The plane ABO1 is in the plane of the MBS input window. As the projection angle of
the blade in a plane perpendicular to the beam axis is 1 = 1.08, the distance from the rotation axis to the upper beam
line we take O1С = 67 mm. Therefore, the width of the blade at the top of the beam line is

 
а  2  O1С  tg  1   2  67  tg  0.54   1.26 mm (2)
 2 
As we know the width of the blade on the top line of the optical beam and the inclination of the blade to the optical axis
of radiation (45 °), we can calculate the angle 2 at the top of the blade itself. From the triangles АВО1 and АВО2
(Figure 6) we have the following equations:

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 O1C
O2C   94.45 mm (3)
sin 45
a
 2  2 arctg  0.85 (4)
2O2 C

We calculated the size of the blade, its vertex angle is 0.85, and the linear size at the top line of the beam is 1.26 mm.
To reduce the measurement error caused by the nonlinearity of absorption of radiation, it is necessary to eliminate hot
spots in the beam of the laser radiation.
After the flux is bended it passes the matching unit in order to dissipate hot spots in a section of the beam and to improve
the sensitivity uniformity of the photosensitive surface of the receiver. In our scheme this unit is a focon with diffuse
reflective surface.

4. CONCLUSION
Structural and optical scheme of the pass-through average power meter was designed. Geometric parameters of the
system were calculated and the system was implemented. The system is designed for the optical beam of 20 mm
diameter and maximum average power up to 1000 W. Scanning frequency is 10 Hz, it enabled to reach the measurement
time performance of 0.2–1.0 sec. The main advantage of this device is a great time stability that is provided by a stable
detector as the TEQ, high effective transmittance (up to 0.98). It can be put or removed from a technological process
without misalignment of the optical scheme of the process unit.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The work is financially supported by the Government of the Russian Federation, Grant 074-U01.

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