SSY 1's Recently?

So... branching out once again

I noticed that MI sells SSY-1 parts on their website, could be a quick build if they already have everything... albeit probably overpriced

I'm afraid of 1MW of 1064nm flying around though... doesn't aiming the laser at soda cans, for example, mean a good number of watts is flying off to somewhere else in the room from reflectivity? Anyone have any experience with these can help me out? Thanks :beer:

Of course, if someone has one they're willing to sell (along with a pair of safety goggles perhaps!) I'm interested

Very informative link, although I have no idea what kind of SSY MI sells it seems that the YAG rod shouldn't be touched by your hands or have any dust on them, any idea if MI knows about this? Or would they just ship me a baggie of parts for me to assemble myself? Which also leads to the obvious... does MI even have all of the components I need?

One question that wasn't answered in the FAQ (I think), what TEM do these YAG rods usually produce in? I know that as you move into pulsed peak powers, the TEM shifts up greatly, but like TEM34, TEM03, or something? What kind of focusing optic would I be looking for if I wanted to focus the OC beam for punching through things? I'm not sure if eBay is good enough or what for getting optical components for these lasers?

They likely sell the SSY1.

TEM is really not very important, it'll pump fine regardless of TEM. As far as focusing lens..well, you won't be able to focus it too small, as mentioned in the link. You'll have to play with various FLL's to get a good outcome for punching holes, or pumping crystals.

Wait under "Beam Characteristics" for the SSY1, it says a simple positive lens will focus the laser to a microscopic spot...

Also, what does FLL stand for? I'm still missing quite a few terms on this field of lasers... such as what exactly SSY stands for, and what the 1 after it denotes

Well here's a YAG laser... I haven't found any YAG systems for <$200 on eBay :thinking: Coherent ND YAG Laser Head and Trigger Pulsed 1064 450V | eBay

I have an SSY-1. I used a thick glass PCX 5" FL lens
and observed air ionize in front. My wife wasn't impressed :-(
I chipped both sides of the lens 5 times --- That's power.
HMike

Do you have to have a Q-switch to have air breakdown? It seems that the high power of the YAG laser output will slowly damage the q-switch and having a q-switch prevents high peak pulse powers?

Sorry, I was thinking of something else.

FLL - focal length lens
SSY - solid state YAG. The 1 is just part of the model number

The q switch is just used to pulse the light. If you slow down time, this will make sense. When you turn on the flash lamp, it excites the neodymium embedded in the YAG crystal to transition. Thus releasing a slew of photons in various wavelength; with the most prevalent being 1064nm. This photon saturation takes place very quickly. The q-switching allows this population to occur, before dumping the light in one pulse, resulting in the high output power. So all the power builds and resonates within, then the light gets dumped in one power pulse.

Pro-tip: The YAG is not lasing. The 1-3% or so of neodymium (the Nd of Nd:YAG) that lases. The medium it is in, YAG, glass, erbium, etc. just allow for the transition to take place, and a translucent medium for the photons to travel through. With too much impurity (the Nd by definition is the impurity), there will be too much taking place, and the photons will cancel each other out.

Solid state can be easily comparable to gas, with just a few subtle differences.

So for the purpose of punching through things, a q-switch is preferable? How long does the q-switch last?

What do you mean how long does it last? The pulse takes only but a couple nanoseconds to saturate. Pulse rate can be several times a second if you're looking for QCW, though output power will be less. This isn't something I've seen done much, most of the time they are used for slow rep rate pulses for high output pumping of some non-linear crystal.

I've read somewhere that trying to get high peak powers using the passive q-switch in SSY units will slowly damage the q-switch... is this not correct?

Pending how hard you drive the components, you can shorten their lifetime. Though exact figures aren't really set in stone. Somewhere you might find a pulse per power consumption ratio, but it's doubtful.

Google "cavity dumping" for some info on q-switched lasers.

If you're driving it hard enough to blow holes through razor blades, you're limiting the lifetime incredibly.

What about soda cans and/or common household aluminum foil?

Soda cans are still pretty thick, aluminum is borderline too much power.

From my reading, the passive Q cell will last many shots if not over powered. This may also be what is in the head of the Mars rover to fit that space. I try to stay within the Joule range recommended and I do have a replacement cell - somewhere... I did punch through Al foil at these settings which I don't remember right now.
My goggles are OD-6 at 1064 and they include side shields. I bought them 20 years ago when I built my first laser! I WEAR THEM even while the caps are powering up. This is one I don't take for granted.
HMike

A Q switch is like a bung hole holding back diarrhea. It holds as long as it can then POOOO. Too much energy passing through will damage the cell just as it damaged my lens.