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Pulsed Fiber Lasers
Pulsed Fiber Laser sources are a specific subset of DPSS lasers. Instead of a crystal, these lasers utilize a doped fiber optic cable as the gain medium. Typically they are doped with rare-earth elements, such as erbium (Er), ytterbium (Yb), or neodymium (Nd), just like the crystals used in most DPSS laser systems.
Fiber lasers have several advantages over traditional DPSS lasers. Some of these advantages derive from the geometry of the fiber optic itself, namely, the innate ability to have an extremely long single-mode optical cavity. This geometry produces either extremely high-power single-mode lasers exhibiting unprecedented brightness or extremely narrow band lasers with near-perfectly single-frequency output. Another advantage is that the fiber medium is flexible, which makes it easier to deliver the beam exactly where you need it. This ability can be highly advantageous when dealing with complex geometries and tight spaces.
Since the fiber optic acts as a gain medium, several kilometers long in some cases, fiber lasers benefit from the high optical gain and can provide much higher output powers compared to some other laser types. The extremely high surface area to volume ratio provides the inherent ability to efficiently remove heat generated, allowing continuous output of kilowatt levels of output power. The waveguide properties of the optical fiber mitigate thermal distortion, producing high-quality, near-diffraction-limited or better optical beam output (i.e., better beam quality).
Fiber lasers tend to be more compact when compared to typical solid-state or gas lasers with a comparable power level, because of the ability of the fiber to be coiled up, allowing a considerable amount of gain media to be confined in a small space. Fiber lasers generally have a lower cost of ownership since they are air-cooled and require little to no maintenance. These lasers are also highly reliable, with stable operation in high temperature and vibration prone environments.
Our Products
Our pulsed fiber lasers are q-switched or mode locked, providing repetition rates from single-shot up to 80 MHz, pulse widths (pulse durations) from 125ns down to 100fs, with pulse energy ranging from 25nJ up to over 1mJ, average output powers ranging from 150mW to 100W, and are available in wavelengths ranging from 1565nm (short-wave infrared or SWIR) down to 532nm (green) through the use of second harmonic generation. OEM laser packages and modules are available.
Our pulsed fiber lasers are used in a wide range of applications including multi-photon microscopy, optogenetics, fluorescence lifetime, 3D scanning, LiDAR, micromachining, surface treatment, thin film removal, welding, and many more!
Let Us Help
In conclusion, if you have any questions, or if you would like some assistance please contact us here. Furthermore, you can call us at 636.272.7227 to talk to a knowledgeable Product Manager. Alternatively, you can also use the filters on this page, or check out our ‘How to Select a Pulsed Laser‘ page to assist in narrowing down the selection. Finally, head to our Knowledge Center with our Lasers 101 page and Blogs and Whitepapers pages for further, in-depth reading.
Suggested Reading
Check out this blog, titled “Advantages of Two-Photon Microscopy Utilizing Femtosecond Fiber Lasers,” for further reading on the benefits of pulsed fiber lasers compared to older and more bulky & expensive Ti:Sapphire lasers.
To learn about pulsed fiber lasers for Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy, check out this blog, titled “Fiber Lasers for Industrial LIBS Applications.”
Read this whitepaper, titled “Single-Frequency Fiber Lasers for Doppler LIDAR,” for further reading about pulsed fiber lasers for Doppler LIDAR.
RPMC offers a variety of standard and custom pulsed fiber laser options. Available in both OEM and Turnkey formats, our 1um, 1.5um and 2um fiber lasers are manufactured to Telcordia standards and can be modified to meet your applications requirements. With available average powers up to 10W at 1um and 1.5um, peak powers up to 25kW, pulse widths in the range of 200ps to 100ns, and available options such as pulse monitoring, internal and external triggering, TTL or LVDS input signals, extended operating temperature range, and a robust design, our pulse series of fiber lasers are suitable for a wide range of applications. Customized configurations are available upon request.
