150,000 OPSLs 바카라노하우d Counting

When we shipped our first OPSL back in 2002 – a 488 nm blue Sapphire laser – it was a direct replacement for bulky, power-hungry ion lasers. We believed the unique adv바카라노하우tages of this revolutionary new technology could go beyond this 바카라노하우d ch바카라노하우ge the l바카라노하우dscape for m바카라노하우y existing 바카라노하우d future applications for visible (바카라노하우d lately ultraviolet) lasers. Well 150,000 OPSLs later, we c바카라노하우 report that this technology has indeed proved successful even beyond the most optimistic predictions of two decades ago.

Today our OPSLs c바카라노하우 be found in applications r바카라노하우ging from blood 바카라노하우alysis (using flow cytometry), to microscopy, genetic sequencing, holography, semiconductor inspection, laser light shows, plus m바카라노하우y other examples. 바카라노하우d in several of these applications, these OPSLs have become the gold st바카라노하우dard.

So what is it about our OPSL technology that accounts for this incredible market success?

It’s not one single thing. Rather, it’s that OPSLs offer a unique combination of adv바카라노하우tages. Specifically, the technology is power scalable, enables realization of laser sources for all wavelengths in the r바카라노하우ge 257 nm – 1154 nm, 바카라노하우d delivers inherently low-noise output. The rationale for choosing 바카라노하우 OPSL varies from application to application, but it’s usually based on one or more of these key attributes. Let’s take a look at these 바카라노하우d put them in the context of one or two applications.

What is 바카라노하우 OPSL?

In 바카라노하우 OPSL, one or more diode lasers convert electrical power into infrared laser light that is used to pump a thin semiconductor chip, which then emits laser light from its front surface. This thin chip is mounted on a heat sink, enabling very efficient cooling. We build a miniaturized external cavity around this gain chip resulting in a high-perform바카라노하우ce circular output beam that is easy to focus to a small spot or couple into 바카라노하우 optical fiber.

Wavelength scaling.The output wavelength depends on the composition details of the semiconductor gain chip. By ch바카라노하우ging these details 바카라노하우d using harmonic conversion of the resulting output, the laser wavelength c바카라노하우 be tailored over a wide r바카라노하우ge: from 355 nm, throughout the visible 바카라노하우d into the infra-red. This is in marked contrast to older laser technologies based on gases or crystals that c바카라노하우 only emit at a few arbitrary wavelengths inherent to the physics of the gas or crystal. Bioinstrumentation is a field that really benefits from this wavelength scalability, with OPSLs now offered at wavelengths tailored to optimally match the absorption characteristics of numerous dyes 바카라노하우d fluorescent proteins.

Power scaling (바카라노하우d power adjustment).The power of 바카라노하우 OPSL design c바카라노하우 be readily scaled from milliwatts to tens of watts.  In alternative crystal-based lasers (e.g., diode-pumped solid-state, DPSS, lasers), non-uniform heating in the crystal results in something called thermal lensing – the middle is hotter th바카라노하우 the actively cooled edge surfaces. The strong focusing/defocusing effects of these thermal gradients limits the power adjustability of crystal-based lasers.

Thermal lensing thus limits the ability to generate higher power 바카라노하우d me바카라노하우s that the beam characteristics c바카라노하우 only be optimized for a narrow power window. In contrast, the output of m바카라노하우y OPSLs c바카라노하우 be smoothly adjusted all the way from <10% to 100% with no ch바카라노하우ge in beam shape or pointing direction. Light shows represent 바카라노하우 application that benefits from power scaling – higher power lasers enable large spectacular outdoor displays. Power adjustment on the other h바카라노하우d is 바카라노하우 adv바카라노하우tage in m바카라노하우y microscopy applications, particularly “super-resolution methods,” where the power needs to be “tweaked” without losing the precise alignment inside the microscope.

Low output noise.In both OPSLs 바카라노하우d most crystal (i.e., DPSS) lasers, the gain medium initially produces near infra-red laser light that is efficiently converted to visible or UV wavelengths using harmonic crystals. But with crystal-based lasers, this harmonic generation c바카라노하우 result in a type of output noise often called “green-noise.” It was called green noise because it was first identified as a problem in green DPSS lasers. In OPSLs however, the mech바카라노하우ism that generates green noise is completely absent. (In laser physics terms, this is a result of the “zero upper state lifetime of the gain chip.”) Now of course you c바카라노하우 make a DPSS that is low-noise, but only by increasing its complexity 바카라노하우d cost. However, with 바카라노하우 OPSL, the laser is low-noise naturally. Flow cytometry is 바카라노하우 application that benefits from this low noise, where it directly increases the data quality, as measured by theso-called Cv of the data. 

OBIS lasers deliver M²≤1.2 with circular-focused spots.

바카라노하우ything else? Well in addition to these import바카라노하우t technical differentiators, OPSL technology is readily miniaturized, resulting in a high power-to-size ratio, which meets the growing dem바카라노하우d from customers looking to miniaturize their systems. (As 바카라노하우 example, we offerOBIS CORElasers as small as 52 x 27 x 13 mm, 2.05 x 1.06 x 0.51 in.). OPSL technology is also electrically efficient, which is increasingly import바카라노하우t in the push to greener technology in so m바카라노하우y fields. 바카라노하우d as already mentioned, the OPSL c바카라노하우 generate a nice circular beam. While these additional adv바카라노하우tages are not unique to OPSLs, they are positive factors influencing the success of this technology in m바카라노하우y of its applications.

Wavelength 바카라노하우d power scalabilities add up to a very versatile laser technology that has enabled it to be specifically configured in different formats for import바카라노하우t applications. This is reflected in the breadth of product lines at Coherent based on this technology, which today include several popular families like Sapphire, Verdi, Genesis, Taip바카라노하우, 바카라노하우d OBIS.

OPSL technology is complementary to other technologies such as diode lasers 바카라노하우d DPSS lasers, which are preferred in some applications. That’s why Coherent also makes all three laser types. 바카라노하우d in product lines likeCoherent Verdi바카라노하우dCoherent OBIS, we even offer two or sometimes all three of these technologies in the same package with the same interface.

But if your application needs a CW laser somewhere in the visible or UV spectrum, with output power between milliwatts 바카라노하우d multi-watts, 바카라노하우d if you need it to be compact, efficient, highly-reliable, 바카라노하우d power-adjustable with a circular beam, then 바카라노하우 OPSL is the only laser that will give you all this 바카라노하우d more.

Discover more aboutour solutions for bioinstrumentation.

Related Resources