Cyan laser

^ that is sooooo coool!

Laser_Ben said:

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So the OPS chip emits at 976nm.. Very interesting. I wonder what kinds of powers are possible with these kinds of configurations? I assume the SHG is accomplished using LBO or KNBO3..

Everything is just solderd down, how do you go about fine tuning and adjusting alignment
And why not have all the components in a straight line like a dpss green :thinking:

^Those are VERY big questions..

Coherent aligns their systems using what is possibly the most painstaking processes on earth. Generally, there is no need for further alignment.

Linear cavities are the simplest and worst DPSS designs in terms of stability. The stability and beam quality of a linear cavity DPSS are inherently unstable, and this becomes more and more pronounced with higher powers. To achieve true stability with top notch beam specs requires more complex cavities, similar to what you see here.

For more info, read this section of Sam's laser FAQ:
Sam's Laser FAQ - Solid State Lasers

ElektroFreak said:

I wonder what kinds of powers are possible with these kinds of configurations?

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The 488nm Sapphire series goes to 500mW, and then the Taipan series goes to 8W, both use a OPS chip as the gain medium.

Gryphon said:

Everything is just solderd down, how do you go about fine tuning and adjusting alignment
And why not have all the components in a straight line like a dpss green :thinking:

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Coherent uses a process called "Permaline" which is effectivly perminently aligning optics. The optics are soldered down while being held in a jig which aligns them. This is good because it means no fine tuning is ever required by the customer or a technician sent out to help a customer, however, it also means that if a laser is damaged, it is not possible to repair it. The standard policy on this model is to replace it if there is anything wrong, that means if the diode fails, there is no way to replace it, so they just throw away the laser and send a new one.

This cavity is Linear, with an intracavity beam pickoff. The reason it is not end pumped is because the OPS chip is not transparent to the pump light and thus has to be pumped from the side it emits from. The backside of the OPS chip is a 976nm HR.

ElektroFreak said:

Linear cavities are the simplest and worst DPSS designs in terms of stability. The stability and beam quality of a linear cavity DPSS are inherently unstable, and this becomes more and more pronounced with higher powers. To achieve true stability with top notch beam specs requires more complex cavities, similar to what you see here.

Click to expand...

You are spot on, the main issue with a linear cavity is that it cannot deal with thermal lensing well. Thermal lensing is when the area in the gain medium you pump expands while the rest of the crystal stays the same, it creates a double convex lens shape for end pumped systems and a double concave shape for side pumped systems, it will cause bad mode quality and lower power.