building a low powered laser

hi, i'm an "amateur" microbiologist researching the potential for stem cell differentiation of near infrared radiation.

The only problem is i do not know a lot about building a laser, and i am finding difficulty in finding out what i need to know.

I could of course purchase premade medical grade laser system but 3.5k for the only laser i could find that suits my needs is a bit out of my price range at the moment without any funding except from my own packet and i need to complete my research as soon as possible.

I was hoping you fine folks could help me out here.

I need to build a diode laser system with a 810 nm wavelength however 808nm would suffice. it most operate in continuous wave mode. the power density must be equal to 10 milliwatts centimeter squared. being able to adjust power density from 5 milliwatts to 50 milliwatts squared centimer would be a plus however 10mw squared centimeter is what i believe to be the goldilocks zone for exhibiting the proper photobiomodulating affects i am looking to achieve.

my question is: what parts will i need to build this laser system?
i know i will need a diode and a driver, but im not sure what else.
how do i make sure everything is compatible?
Does anyone have any reccomendations on what specific models of parts i should use?
How do i ensure power density is equal to 10 milliwatts centimeter squared?

im not looking for you to hold my hand here, just point me in the right direction to find what i need to know.

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hi, thanks for the reply but thats too basic. is there anything more advanced?

unfortunately if you need something with that high a precision, hand making one likely isnt going to save you much money. it would likely be only for educational purposes as you'd just be reinventing the wheel, high quality stuff like that really does cost that much ususally, depending on the wavelength and power you need. what properties of laser are you looking at needing? I might be able to point you in the right direction.

ultimatekaiser said:

unfortunately if you need something with that high a precision, hand making one likely isnt going to save you much money. it would likely be only for educational purposes as you'd just be reinventing the wheel, high quality stuff like that really does cost that much ususally, depending on the wavelength and power you need. what properties of laser are you looking at needing? I might be able to point you in the right direction.

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i need it wavelength stabilized to either 810nm or 808nm or 812 nm that outputs a constant power density of exactly 10 milliwatts squared centimeter and operates in continuous wave mode. 810nm would be preferred. this is the only requirements as anything else is just convenience.

Surely it would not cost 3 grand to produce such a simple low powered laser, would it?

if you can point me in the right direction i would be much obliged.

a link to some advanced literature on laser engineering would be a plus.

well...i suppose it depends on how stable you want it. for what you're talking about you'd need something stable wavelength wise for your research, and that is quite pricy, its not so much expensive to build technology wise, but more in the man hours spent making and testing it. I've built and rebuilt lab lasers before and it takes many hours and hours of testing to do, sometimes days worth, and at lab pay rate, thats not a small number. as well as for a round profile from a 808, beam correction can be very expensive.

edit: you might get a quote from CNI or laserglow for the power range you need, you might be able to get something from them as a best bang for your buck...but 1% stability wont come cheap anywhere, even making it yourself.