Dr. Sidi Aboujja from SemiNex presents two technical talks on our latest SOA array and highly reliable Triple Junction for automotive LiDAR at SPIE DCS 2023. These talks capture the technological advancements and application insights so that LiDAR can achieve long range with low cost and small form factors. The abstracts of these talks are lis… Read More
Accurate OH measurements are a growing need in combustion research, but existing sensor architectures are challenging to make economic, compact, and robust. The need for robust OH sensors is amplified in the global effort to decarbonize combustion. Many species, such as CO and CO2, have robust, high-speed laser absorption sensors targeting their fundamental vibrational bands in the mid-infrared; however, certain species like OH do not have a favorable vibrational spectrum, complicating sensing in the mid… Read More
As discussed in previous posts, Raman spectroscopy is a rapidly growing analytical technique used in a wide variety of industries for material identification, but with so many different laser options it can be somewhat challenging to understand which laser is best for which application. To help elevate some of the confusion around this issue, we released an application note this past August titled “Multi-Mode vs. Single-Mode Lasers for Raman Spectr… Read More
Raman spectroscopy is one of the fastest growing and most diverse applications in all of laser spectroscopy. As a result, it can be rather challenging at times to sift through the wide-ranging laser options all being marketed for Raman spectroscopy. In this application note we will tackle one of the most common questions that arises when picking a laser for Raman spectroscopy; “Should I chose a single-spatial mode or multi-spatial mode laser for my application?” On the surface, this seems like a simple question since Raman is a nonlinear optical effect and therefore the tighter the beam can be focused the higher the conversion efficiency. Seemingly a single-mode laser would be preferable, but in practice there are other factors that can complicate … Read More
Mid-IR molecular spectroscopy is a rapidly developing and promising technique, enabling high-performance chemical detection and analysis for industrial or environmental purposes, with new wavelength ranges becoming commercially available. The essential component for such applications is the laser source, adapted to the specific spectral lines (the fingerprint) of the target molecule. Quantum Cascade Lasers (QCLs) are a perfectly suited solution to build such analysis… Read More
Laser diodes must meet two critical requirements to facilitate the lasing process. The first requires that, at a minimum, the laser cavity’s gain increases to the point that it reaches unity with the level of losses. This unity state is known as the gain threshold. The second requirement is that there must be a longitudinal mode present inside the optical cavity, coinciding with the laser’s gain curve. This article explores precisely what longitudinal modes are and how they affect the laser diode’s pe… Read More
For any laser to function, there must be more gain inside the laser cavity than loss, and the point at which the laser gain is just large enough to overcome the cavity loss enabling lasing is called gain threshold. While simple, in theory, this concept of gain threshold can be particularly challenging to understand, particularly when it comes to diode lasers. Therefore, as part of our ongoing blog series expanding on the topics covered in our Lasers 101 section, we are going to explore the concept of laser diode gain threshold in this … Read More
Once thought to be impossible, blue, green and UV laser diodes have now become commonplace. These lasers are being used in a wide range of applications from blue-ray players to commercial lighting & displays to copper welding. In this post, we are going to take a look at the underlying material properties of semiconductors, GaN in particular, and how it has led to the development of blue, green and UV las… Read More
When operating a laser diode, proper thermal management is critical to avoid damage. A few key aspects to consider are the generation and dissipation of waste heat, laser diode operating temperature, and proper heatsinking. This article will focus on TO-Can packages, giving consideration to these key aspects and providing useful information for proper thermal m… Read More
Whether a diode laser is a traditional monolithic design or utilizes an external cavity configuration, the laser light must still propagate through the diode’s PN-junction via a ridge waveguide. As a result, the beam profile of edge emitting diodes is unique when compared to all laser sources because of the asymmetric geometry of this optical cavity. This issue often leads to confusion about how to properly integrate open beam laser diodes into yo… Read More
Within the laser community, one of the most overused and often miscommunicated terms is the phrase “single mode.” This is because a laser beam when traveling through air takes up a three-dimensional volume in space similar to that of a cylinder; and just as with a cylinder, a laser beam can be divided into independent coordinates each with their own mode structure. For a cylinder we would call these the length and the cross-section, but as shown in the figure below for a laser beam, we define these as the transverse electromagnetic (TEM) plane and the longitud… Read More
The single most commonly used laser procedure in dentistry is crown troughing, because of its ability to distend the tissue in much time as traditional retraction techniques. In this blog post we dive into what exactly crown troughing is and what the laser requirements are for such an ap… Read More
There are two critical parameters that all lasers diodes must meet to begin the lasing process. The first one of these parameters is that there must be more gain than loss inside the laser cavity, the point at which this condition is satisfied is known as the gain threshold and was covered in the last installment in our Laser Diode Fundamentals series. The second condition that must be met, is that there must be a longitudinal mode present inside the optical cavity which coincides with the laser’s g… Read More
For many years, space applications have steadily increased the utilization of laser diodes for various instruments (mainly pump sources for solid-state lasers). Because of this, organizations have developed qualification methodologies to ensure high levels of quality, performance, and lifetime. In recent years, increasingly complex scientific payloads have required more precise lasers for metrology, calibration, and environmenta… Read More
In October of 2017 RPMC Lasers, published a white paper titled “How to Improve Laser Diode Lifetime! Advice and Precautions on Mounting,” where we went on to describe in great detail the various package types and the best practices for ensuring the laser diode are appropriately heat sunk. In light of extreme interest in this topic, we have decided to expand on this topic with this application note by discussing how electrical, electro-mechanical, environmental, and optical properties also affect the diode … Read More
RPMC Lasers is proud to announce that two of our esteemed partners, Seminex Corporation and Spectrolight, Inc., have been honored with the 2024 Innovators Awards from Laser Focus World. This prestigious recognition highlights their exceptional contributions to the photonics industry and underscores their commitment to innovation and exc… Read More
Raman Spectroscopy has become increasingly popular in recent years. With more demand for this application, some companies have strived to make advancements to the associated technology and hardware, in an effort to provide better results, more throughput, increased flexibility, and a reduction in total footprint of these devices. This Raman Probe provides great flexibility with configurable optics and advanced features like dual-wavelength capability using only one spe… Read More
Micro-welding is a high-precision welding method employed to fuse minuscule metal parts or features together. Traditionally, this requires a highly skilled specialist, utilizing a variety of skill sets and knowledge of various materials’ properties, taking into account all of the particular considerations involved in such a precise, delicate process. The Ford company first developed micro-welding to solve the problem of welding materials in a vacuum tube with a high melt… Read More
Single-frequency lasers have long been the cornerstone of standoff gas detection applications, particularly in traditional LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), DIAL (Differential Absorption LIDAR), and TDLAS (Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy) applications, where the sample needs to be accurately measured. More recently, as single-frequency laser diodes have become more common and less expensive, with a larger measurement range and compact size, they are being utilized in more localized and industrial gas sensing app… Read More
Driving a vehicle at night or during foggy conditions can be tricky and dangerous, where poor visibility can cause undue stress or even an accident. These conditions make it more difficult to see upcoming potential obstacles, especially if that obstacle is a deer in a field or a pedestrian in dark clothing at night. However, thanks to newer, more efficient, and cost-effective advancements, we could see more widespread deployment of LIDAR-based automotive detection and warning… Read More
In this case study, we explore how Johan Petit, a research engineer at ONERA, overcame the challenges of material characterization in the mid-wave to long-wave infrared spectrum. Faced with budget constraints and the need for specific laser wavelengths, Johan turned to Quantum Cascade Lasers (QCLs) from mirSense. This cost-effective solution not only met his project requirements but also offered room temperature operation and compact, turnkey usability, proving QCLs to be an ideal laser source for such app… Read More
Blue diode lasers have recently become known as an excellent tool for certain processing techniques regarding copper and other non-ferrous and highly reflective metals. Copper, gold, aluminum, and certain other metals absorb blue wavelengths more easily than any other wavelengths of visible or invisible light. This higher rate of absorption allows for both higher quality results and faster processing times, when typically, there is a trade off between quality … Read More
Steady growth in the nuclear industry has led to an increase in demand for more accurate, efficient, and reliable detection and monitoring of critical compounds, like Uranium hexafluoride (UF6) assay or Methyl Iodide (CH3i). This has led to the development of new technologies, enhancing the capabilities of molecular spectroscopy. Entities worldwide are developing advanced spectroscopy-based technologies and methods, aiming to decrease accidents with better safeguards, enable the rapid and precise assessment of nuclear plant … Read More
It is well known that the output beam characteristic of a multimode laser diode is inherently non-uniform, due to both spatial and temporal variations of the mode profile, that result from thermal lensing and filamentation. These non-uniformities (‘hot-spots’ and ‘dark-spots’) can lead to deleterious effects for many applications, including solid-state laser pumping, Raman spectroscopy of sensitive materials, laser speckle contrast imaging, and laser ill… Read More
LiDAR is a critical component of ADAS (Advanced Driving Assisting System), AVs (Autonomous Vehicles), and industrial automation systems. Highly efficient VCSELs (vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers), with their tiny footprint, attractive pricing, and remarkable reliability and performance, will undoubtedly have an increased positive effect on the LiDAR industry. 100% solid-state LiDAR systems show great potential as the next evolution in LiDAR technology, aiming to replace traditional bulky and expensive mechanical spinning and microelectromechanical systems LiDA… Read More
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