Archive for July, 2012

Accurately coupling an ND: YAG or another powerful laser into a fiber delivery system can be a challenging task. Here is an example of how the process can be made easier using a beam profiler.
Figure 1 shows the beam profile of a laser diode being used as an optical input to a fiber. The beam was collimated with a lens to bring it to a relatively uniform round profile, rather than the usual rectangular beam profile emitted by laser diodes. The focused spot of the laser diode was then coupled into an optical fiber. This coupling is critical in all three axes, X, Y, and Z.

Continued

Through out the years we, at Ophir-Spiricon, have come across many interesting applications where our beam profilers and laser power sensors and meters have been very helpful to our customers. Here are a couple of interesting beam profiling applications: Continued

Ophir has very high standards for what is considered “measurable.”  That is why when we delineate a power scale, the minimum power is usually about 20 times the 3-sigma noise rating (or 60 times the RMS noise).  Although it isn’t inherently wrong to say that one can measure power lower than this scale, we believe that it is important to err on the side of caution when it comes to power scales and thresholds.

However, this often leads people to ask: “If Ophir’s standards are so strict, can I measure outside the range stated in the specs?”  What exactly happens as the laser power approaches the noise level?  It’s clear that if the laser power is of the same order as the noise, we won’t get a meaningful reading.  I want to discuss what happens to the accuracy level between the minimum laser power rating and the noise level. Continued

 

Laser engineers and technicians are often required to calculate a laser’s power density to determine whether a beam would damage an optic or sensor or for other various applications. By definition, power density is power per unit area which is usually expressed in terms of W/cm².  Continued