| Spiricon offers by far the industry's largest selection of cameras for optimum beam profiling under varied conditions.
On the one hand, we have our own cameras developed from the ground up to optimize characteristics for beam profiling. Our famous
Pyrocam pyroelectric cameras for a wide range of wavelengths including CO2, our phosphor coated cameras and now our thin profile SP
silicon cameras with the best SNR in the industry.
On the other hand, we adapt a variety of cameras from other vendors to best fit your needs. Our LBA software is designed so it will also work
with a variety of other cameras not in this catalog. |
| Includes LBA-PC laser beam analysis software for many other features and analysis capabilities
Spectral ranges available from 13 to 355 nm and 1.06 to >3000 µm
Image CO2 lasers, telecom NIR lasers and other infrared sources out to Far IR THz sources
Solid state array camera with 1000:1 linear dynamic range for accurate profiling
Integrated chopper for CW beams and thermal imaging
Versatile Firewire interface
Interchangeable windows available for a variety of applications
Windows Image Viewer presents 3D isometric plots, 2D color contour plots and grayscale, among other views
Compatible with LBA-PC-PIII laser beam analysis software for many other features and analysis capabilities |
 |
Spiricon has been the world leader in the manufacture of pyroelectric solid-state detector arrays and cameras.
For over 10 years the PyrocamTM I was the overwhelming camera of choice for Laser Beam Diagnostics of IR and
UV lasers. Precision, stability, reliability, and versatility have become its proud heritage.
Now the PyrocamTM III follows this tradition, using the sensor of the PyrocamTM I.
In addition, high temperature thermal
imaging is practical and affordable.
The PyrocamTM III offers easy Windows® camera setup, direct Windows quantitative and image display, 14 bit
digitizer, versatile Firewire® PC interface, an integral chopper for CW beams and thermal imaging, and many other
enhanced features. |
| The PyrocamTM III camera creates clear
and illuminating images of your laser beam profile. Displayed in 2D
or 3D views, you can immediately recognize beam characteristics that
affect laser performance and operation. This instantly alerts you
to detrimental laser variations. Instantaneous feedback enables timely
correction and real-time tuning of laser parameters. For example,
when the industrial shop foreman saw the CO2 laser beam profile in
Figure 2 he knew immediately why that laser was not processing materials
the same as the other shop lasers, with the profile shown in Figure
3. |
 |
 |
| Fig. 2. Industrial CO2
laser performing inconsistent processing. |
Fig. 3. Industrial CO2 laser
performing specifed processing. |
|
|
| The PyrocamTM III measures the beam profile of both pulsed and CW lasers. Since the pyroelectric crystal is an integrating
sensor, pulses
from femtosecond to 12.8ms can be measured. The pyroelectric crystal only measures changes in intensity, and so is relatively immune
to ambient temperature
changes. Because CW laser beams must be chopped to create a changing signal, the PyrocamTM III contains an
integral chopper as an option. |
 |
| Spiricon's PyrocamTM III pyroelectric camera is an excellent
tool for measuring THz lasers and
sources. The coating of the crystal absorbs all wavelengths including 1um to over 3000um (0.1THz
to 300THz). For THz sources the sensitivity
of the PyrocamTM III is relatively low, at about 300mW/
cm2 at full output. With a S/N of 1000, beams of 30mW/cm2 are easily visible. In addition,
with
Spiricon's patented Ultracal baseline setting, multiple frames can be summed to "pull" a signal out
of the noise. Summing 256 frames enables viewing of beams as low as 1-2mW/cm2. |
| With Terahertz research suddenly being a central topic of interest, the PyrocamTM III becomes an
invaluable aid in this exciting research. Otherwise, scientists working on Terahertz research had
no easy way to characterize the profile, or energy distribution, of their lasers or sources. |
| THz laser beam
at 0.2THz (1.55mm) 3mW input
power; 19 frames summed. |
| Thus you can use the PyrocamTM III in the near IR for Nd:YAG lasers
at 1.06µm, and for infrared fiber optics at 1.3µm and 1.55µm. Use the
PyrocamTM III for HF/DF lasers near 4µm and for Optical Parametric
Oscillators
from 1 µm to 10µm. It measures Free Electron Lasers
between 10µm and 3000µm. |
 |
 |
 |
Fig. 6. Spectral response
of PyrocamTM III detector array
(without window). |
| Er:YAG
laser at 2.9µm. |
Output of
infrared fiber optic. |
| The PyrocamTM III is extremely useful
in the UV from 355nm to 157nm for Excimer lasers and for tripled or
quadrupled Nd:YAG lasers. The detector is stable under UV illumination,
without the deterioration experienced by CCD cameras. (The pyroelectric
detector operates in the visible spectrum, and can see the alignment
HeNe used with CO2 lasers. However, spurious response from the underlying
silicon multiplexer creates undesirable performance, and the camera
is not recommended for quantitative visible measurements). |
 |
 |
| THz laser beam at 1.6THz (184um). |
Free Electron laser at 100µm. |
|
|
| The PyrocamTM III Windows application incorporates setup software to control all functions of the camera, such as pulsed versus chopped
operation, gain, and background reference subtraction, eliminating all controls from the camera housing. |
 |
| Pyrocam III Windows setup menu. |
| |
| A Windows viewer application enables viewing of the laser beam in a number of modes, including 3D isometric plots, 2D color contour
plots, and gray scale for thermal imaging. This application enables stand-alone operation of the camera independent of any other software.
Nevertheless, the Spiricon LBA-PC beam analysis software provides many additional features and capabilities not incorporated with the
camera. |
| |
 |
 |
| Composite Excimer LASIK beam profile
at 193nm. |
Composite Excimer LASIK beam profile
in 2D display. |
| |
| The PyrocamTM III consists of a LiTa03 pyroelectric
crystal mounted with indium bumps to a solid-state readout multiplexer. This sensor,
developed for the Pyrocam I, has proven to be the most rugged, stable, and precise IR detector array available.
Light impinging on the pyroelectric crystal is absorbed and converted to heat, which creates charge on the surface. The multiplexer then
reads out this charge onto the video line. For use with short laser pulses, the firmware of the camera creates a very short electronic shutter
to accurately capture the thermally generated signal. |
 |
| Pyrocam III sensor array and window assembly |
|
| The PyrocamTM III takes the proven PyrocamTM I sensor and incorporates it into a camera with all new state-of-the-art electronics. The
camera features a 14 bit A/D converter which digitizes deep into the camera noise. This enables reliable measurement and analysis of both
large signals and low level signals in the wings of the laser beam. Fourteen bit digitizing also enables accurate signal summing and averaging
to pull weak signals out of noise. This is especially useful with fiber optics at 1.3µm and 1.55µm, and in thermal imaging.
The PyrocamTM III camera electronics incorporates 2 Firewire® (IEEE 1394A) interface ports. This interfaces to the latest PC computer
technology, and eliminates the need for a framegrabber card. Multiple Pyrocam IIIs can be daisy chained together using the 1394 cabling. |
| The PyrocamTM III incorporates a new compact housing measuring only 5.5" high by 5.1" wide, and 2.5" deep in the direction of the beam
path. This allows the camera to be inserted
into smaller spaces on the optical table. It also makes the camera useful as a portable camera
for thermal imaging and on-site field service of laser systems. The Pyrocam III integral focal plane chopper helps keep the camera head
compact. |
| The PyrocamTM III is an ideal camera for use in scientific laboratory investigation of laser beams. This includes physics, chemistry, and
electronic system designs. As an example, the photos below show a research CO2 laser and a research Nd:YAG laser, both with cavity
misalignment. |
| The camera is also useful in product engineering of CO2 and other infrared lasers. The PyrocamTM III is an integral part of the assembly lines
of many CO2 laser manufacturers. Integrators of systems are using the PyrocamTM sensor to make sure that optical systems are aligned and
operating properly. |
| There are many medical applications of the PyrocamTM III, such as the analysis of excimer lasers used for eye surgery. In many cases these
lasers need alignment to ensure that the eye surgery is performed as expected. Other medical IR lasers perform dermatology, for which the
uniformity of the beam profile must be assured. |
| |
 |
 |
| CO2 laser with cavity misalignment. |
Nd:YAG laser with cavity misalignment. |
| Fiber optic communications, at 1.3µm and 1.55µm make significant use of the PyrocamTM III for analyzing the beams being emitted, as well
as analyzing properties of the beams before launching them into fibers. The greater stability of the PyrocamTM III make it a good choice over
other cameras operating at telecommunication wavelengths. |
| |
 |
 |
| CO2 laser with cavity misalignment. |
Nd:YAG laser with cavity misalignment. |
|
| The PyrocamTM III is becoming an essential tool in the maintenance of industrial infrared lasers, especially CO2. The PyrocamTM III replaces
non-electronic mode burns and acrylic blocks by providing higher definition electronic recording of data, and analysis of short term
fluctuations. The PyrocamTM III is superior to other electronic methods of measuring CO2 lasers in that the entire beam can be measured in
a single pulse, and additional measurements made in real-time. This ensures that the beam did not change during the measurement. |
| |
| The PyrocamTM III sensor is capable of operation with intensities about 106 greater than CCD cameras. This makes the camera ideal for use
with high power lasers, as less attenuation is required. Nevertheless, pulsed lasers with fluence too high can evaporate the absorbing front
electrode. |
 |
| |
| As shown the damage threshold increases with pulse width. With nanosecond and longer pulses, detector saturation occurs before damage.
With shorter pulses it helps to increase the camera amplifier gain so that electronic
saturation occurs before damage.
The sensor can be damaged by excessive CW power, which causes crystal cracking. Very few Pyrocam III detectors
have been damaged
by CW power, but some have been ablated by high peak pulse energy. |
|
| Application: |
IR and UV |
| Spectral response: |
13 - 355nm |
| |
1.06 - 3000µm |
| Interchangeable windows: |
See selection in Ordering Information section |
| Active area: |
12.4mm x 12.4mm |
| Element spacing: |
100µm x 100µm |
| Number of elements; |
124 x 124 |
| Pixel size: |
85µm x 85µm |
| CHOPPED CW OPERATION |
| Chopping frequencies: |
24Hz |
| (Optional chopper): |
48Hz |
| Sensitivity (RMS noise limit): |
220 nW/pixel (24Hz) |
| |
320 nW/pixel (48Hz) |
| |
2.2 mW/cm2 (24Hz) |
| |
3.2 mW/cm2 (48Hz) |
| Noise equivalent power (NEP): |
45 nW/Hz1/2/pixel (1Hz) |
| Saturation power: |
2.2W/cm2(24Hz) |
| |
3.2W/cm2 (48Hz) |
| Damage total power: |
|
| Over entire array: |
2W |
| Power density: |
8W/cm2 |
| PULSED OPERATION |
|
| Laser pulse rate: |
Single-shot to 1000Hz |
| Pulse width: |
1fs - 12.8ms |
| Sensitivity (peak noise limit): |
7nJ/pixel |
| |
70µJ/cm2 |
| Saturation energy: |
10mJ/cm2 |
| Damage threshold: |
20mJ/cm2 (1ns pulse) |
| |
600mJ/cm2 (1 µs pulse) |
MEASUREMENTS PERFORMED
Total power or energy in digital counts or calibrated in software
Peak power or energy in digital counts or calibrated in software
Peak location in µm
Centroid location in µm
Diameter at 1/e2 points in µm
X & Y Knife edge beam widths in µm |
| OPERATING CONNECTIONS AND CONDITIONS |
| Power: |
120/230 VAC |
| |
60/50Hz External Supply |
| Ambient temperature operation: |
5°C to 40°C |
| PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS |
| Case Dimensions: |
140mm H X 130mm W X 62mm D |
| Detector Position: |
Centered in width |
| |
35.6mm from bottom |
| |
15.2mm behind front cover (without included C-mount attached) |
| Weight: |
0.1Kg |
FEATURES
14 bit digital output in CW, 13 bit digital output in pulsed
More critical A & B grading criteria
Grade A
Grade B
Compact Head 5.53"HX5.13"WX2.53"D
Internal integrated focal plane chopper for CW (24 & 48Hz). No separate controller
Lens mount and internal focal plane chopper for IR imaging
Two Firewire® interface ports to PC computer (IEEE 1394a)
Firewire to PCI adapter
Windows image viewer
Windows setup menu (control console - no buttons or knobs, more user friendly)
High speed, up to 1kHz standard
Automatic lock in to pulse trigger rate
Programmable exposure time (to reduce signal loss from thermal spread) 50µs to 12.8ms in 50µs increments.
Slider for fine adjustment gain settings; 1X to 10X CW, 6X Pulse
User enabled bad pixel correction
Separate bad pixel correction for pulsed and CW
User enabled gain correction - separate for pulsed and CW
Internet field upgradeable firmware
Interface to 3rd party software via ActiveX
Expor images in .bmp or ASCII
|
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|
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Kamera mit pyrolektrischem Array 
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