Laser Diode Blog Posts

In this application note, we plan to combine these two topics and look at one of the key factors that affects laser diode bar lifetime – stress and strains.  Despite the extreme power output of laser diode bars and stacks, which can exceed 2 kilowatts of power in quasi continuous wave (QCW) operation, the facet coating technology has improved to the point where it can handle intensities well over 20MW/cm2 making catastrophic optical damage (COD) no longer a limiti… Read More

In the last installment of our Laser Diode Fundamentals series, we took a deep dive into the underlying physical properties behind the longitudinal mode structure of laser diodes.  In that blog post, we explained the advantages and disadvantages to both multi-longitudinal mode and single longitudinal mode diode lasers.  We are going to expand on what we learned about single longitudinal mode diodes lasers and take a look at a wide range of stabilization techniques which are used to ensure that a laser maintains single mode performance during its … Read More

All gasses have a unique absorption spectrum in the infrared range, due to the allowed vibration and rotation modes which arise from its molecular bond structure.  The various absorption bands which make up this spectrum can vary in both the magnitude of the absorption efficiency and shape allowing them to serve as a molecular fingerprint, to differentiate different gases in … Read More

Micromanipulation of sub-millimeter objects is one of the more underappreciated technical challenges in modern scientific research.   To fully understand their properties, objects such as dielectric spheres, viruses, bacteria, living cells, organelles, small metal particles, and even strands of DNA all require precise positioning under a microscope even though they can often only be tens of nanometers in size.  Since these objects are too small to manipulate with a pair of tweezers, a non-contact method needs to be used to trap and then manipulate these … Read More

Additive manufacturing, or as its more commonly referred – 3D printing, has revolutionized manufacturing processes over the past ten years.  This technology which was once reserved for high-end research and prototyping applications is now so commonplace that many elementary and middle schools through the US are utilizing them as part of their STEM curriculums. Regardless of cost or complexity, all additive manufacturing processes consist of four primary stages: 3D modeling, digital data processing, 3D object construction, and post-p… Read More

Optical particle counting is widely deployed in cleanrooms around the world as a means for counting and sizing the number of particles in the air.  Most people who have ever worked in a clean room, are familiar with the Federal Standard 209E cleanroom classifications, such as class 10,000, class 1,000, or class 100, with the lower the number corresponding to the cleaner the room.  Where many people have misconceptions is that the classifications are not solely determined by the number of particles in the air but also t… Read More

Jenoptik will be presenting its latest development in the field of high-power laser sources for industrial material processing, and in particular for direct diode laser applications. The new diode laser with passive cooling makes quite the impression with its extremely high power output of 275 watts and long service life in both CW and hard pulse app… Read More

Semiconductor materials are unique among laser gain materials for their extremely high index of refraction.  As a result of this large index difference at the air/semiconductor interface, each facet of a laser diode naturally acts as a partially reflective mirror (~32%).   This gives diode lasers the unique property of having a built-in resonator which is capable of lasing without any external optics or coatings and providing an extremely low-cost solution for applications such as laser pointers, where performance isn’t the primar… Read More

In this blog post we are going to take a look at two most commonly used fiber laser dopants erbium (Er) and ytterbium (Yb) which both have a strong absorption peak at 976 nm, but who’s bandwidths vary dramatically causing one to require a wavelength stabilized d… Read More

In this blog we look at the application of machine vision in the transportation industry for laser rail inspection where high-power laser diodes. Laser rail inspection systems use high-speed cameras & high power laser line projectors to acquire high-res images and 3D profiles of rai… Read More

In our last blog post, “Laser Amplification for Power Scaling,” we discussed how an optical amplifier can be used to increase the power of a seed laser while maintaining its performance characteristics.  The same basic principle can be applied to a laser itself, with a method known as injection seeding.  In this case, a single frequency laser is sent into the laser cavity therefore selectively reducing the gain threshold at that specific frequency as shown in the fig… Read More

Continuing with our recent theme of application for laser diode bars and stacks, in this post we will take a look at laser cladding.  If you haven’t already read our previous post titled “Understanding Laser Diode Arrays,” or have a basic understanding of laser diode bars and stacks we’d highly recommend you check out that post before reading … Read More

In this post, we will take a looking to industrial laser welding and why high power (multi-kilowatt) fiber coupled diode lasers are ideal for this application. This is accomplished by looking at the differences industrial laser cutting and laser welding system req… Read More

At RPMC we offer one of the widest ranges of laser diodes on the market, and if you have been following us for some time now, we often mention that we offer both single emitters and arrays (bars).  In this blog post we are going to take a look at exactly what we mean when we talk about diode bars, but in order to do that, we need to first take a small detour and talk about the role of the ridge waveguide in laser diodes i… Read More

Eblana Photonics’ propitiatory Discrete Mode (DM) single frequency laser diode technology is an ideal solution for this application, available from 760 nm up to 2150 nm. Their DM laser technology delivers DFB laser like performance at a lower price point geared to high volume app… Read More

A complete, turn-key laser diode system suitable for many welding and cladding applications. This award winning product based on multiple single emitter design, a combination of fused fiber combining, has achieved 1000 W output power for a 300um fiber and 3000W output from 60… Read More

Laser diodes and VCELS are semiconductor lasers in the simplest form of Solid State Lasers. Laser diodes are commonly referred to as edge emitting laser diodes, because the laser light is emitted from the edge of the substrate. RPMC Lasers supplies all your Laser Diode and VCSELS needs 63… Read More

High Power laser diodes (multimode laser diodes) have an enlarged emitter that allows higher power than single mode laser diodes. The output power varies depending on the wavelength needed. Laser diodes are available in wavelengths from the UV (~370 nm) through the mid IR (>2 um) wa… Read More

Jenoptik produces and develops high-power laser diodes.  They range from fiber-coupled laser diode modules, mounted laser diodes / stacks, and semiconductor material.  The entire process is covered from wafer to module.  Their laser diode products are well established in the industrial, medical, and science i… Read More

These Single Frequency Laser Diodes feature Eblana’s Discreet-Mode (DM) technology which allows for excellent SMSR and narrow linewidth (<2MHz),  making them a cost effective solution for Gas Sensing and scientific needs. Since laser-based gas sensing requires excellent tuning characteristics, Eblana's DM lasers are the ideal choice because they feature mode-hop-free tuning over a minimum of 2nm. See our new Lasers 101 page for in depth information on Las... Read More

We know selecting a laser source for your application can be overwhelming. There are many types of lasers and levels of integration to choose from, so it is important to know their differences and the impacts they will have on your project. In our new Lasers 101 guide, we provide a… Read More

RPMC Lasers offers over 50 different blue lasers and laser diodes from several industry leading suppliers. The Blue wavelengths cover the wavelengths from 420nm thru 499nm. Applications for Blue wavelength lasers and laser diodes include biophotonics, medical, military, and ma… Read More

Many customers do not appreciate the importance and/or the complexity of removing waste heat. Heat is the biggest cause of field failures, especially for higher power laser diodes.  Waste heat must be removed efficiently and instantaneously, or the laser will be catastrophically damaged or, as a minimum, experience a shortened… Read More

A complete, turn-key laser diode system suitable for many welding and cladding applications. This award winning product based on multiple single emitter design, a combination of fused fiber combining, has achieved 1000 W output power for a 300um fiber and 3000W output from 60… Read More

hese Narrow Linewidth Laser Diodes feature Eblana’s Discreet-Mode (DM) technology which allows for excellent SMSR and narrow linewidth (<2MHz),  making them a cost effective solution for Gas Sensing and scientific needs. Since laser-based gas sensing requires excellent tuning characteristics, Eblana's DM lasers are the ideal choice because they feature mode-hop-free tuning over a minimum of 2nm. See our new Lasers 101 page for in depth information on Las... Read More