Growing need of Laser Emission diagnostics
With the rapid progress in coherent infrared light sources in recent years, there’s an increasing need for diagnostics that can keep up. NLIR’s fast and sensitive spectroscopy systems enable live monitoring of beam alignment and ultra-fast pulse-to-pulse spectral acquisition at up to 130 kHz.
Combined with NLIR’s unique wavelength conversion technology – allowing the use of GHz-bandwidth detectors – these tools offer valuable insight into the development and operation of next-generation mid-infrared light sources.
Mid-infrared spectroscopy OPEN NEW RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES FOR LASER CHARACTERIZATION
Among all the wavelength regions, the mid-infrared spectrum is still relatively unknown to laser scientists. Despite the limited availability of mid-infrared laser sources on the market, many industries benefit from them. Mid-infrared lasers are used primarily for absorption spectroscopy and infrared imaging, but many other applications are also seeing the light of day as higher brightness, better mode quality, and better modulation become available. That has led to extensive research and growth of infrared laser technology in recent years.
Mid-infrared laser technology is a continuously developing field as a variety of different platforms and materials, such as semiconductor lasers, gas-based lasers, and fibre lasers evolve.
How does it work?
Characterizing a laser source in the mid-infrared regime is very simple using the fiber-coupled MIDWAVE Spectrometer. As seen in the video, where a laser beam is aligned to couple light into the input fiber, using the spectrometer is very similar to using a fiber-coupled grating spectrometer from the visible regime. Set the exposure time and view the recorded spectra live on the screen.
Why Fast, Sensitive and Accurate Laser DIagnositics?
The growth and progress of coherent infrared light sources creates new conditions for laser characterization. To ensure successful progress, equipment specialized for characterizing each device is required. Fast, sensitive, and accurate instruments are required for beam diagnostics, laser pulse characterization, and spectral power density measurements.
Below, you can explore how NLIR’s BUNDLE Spectrometers are used to achieve breakthroughs in laser characterization.
Mid-infrared supercontinuum laser source
As an example, single pulses from a super-continuum laser source with a bandwidth of approx. 3.0 µm – 4.2 µm and a repetition rate of 40 kHz of 2 ns pulses were measured with 80 kHz full-spectrum readout rate and a resolution 4 cm-1.
In this figure,
(a) shows raw data of 12 ms data acquisition;
(b) shows a zoom where every other readout is empty as expected from 40 kHz repetition rate and 80 kHz sampling;
(c) shows 10 consecutive spectra. The fluctuations in the spectra are by far dominated by noise from the light source.
Modulating mid-infrared laser current
In this example, the drive current amplitude of a mid-infrared laser at 3330 nm was modulated linearly at 1 kHz, and the full spectrum of the emitted light was recorded at 80 kHz and a resolution 4 cm-1. The graph shows how both the amplitude and the center frequency of the laser change under the modulation of the drive current.
This characteristic could only be measured with NLIR’s kHz rate spectrometer.
These two laser characterization examples show how the NLIR’s Edge BUNDLE Spectrometer with its 130 kHz full spectrum readout rate gives unique insights into the mid-IR laser characterization.
Achieve Fast, sensitive and accurate laser characterization with NLIR
NLIR’s mid-IR BUNDLE Spectrometer offers unique insights into both the temporal and spectral domains of the light from a mid-infrared laser. With a bandwidth from 2 µm to 5 µm, full-spectrum readout rate up to 130 kHz, and sensitivity among the very best, many different laser properties can be characterized.
Reach out to us to explore your capabilities of laser diagnostics and characterization.
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