I was recently using my 1.2W red laser when the beam (it was focused to infinity and super divergent by virtue of being from a red laser) became reflected by a shiny object in my house and came back into the laser. This interaction would have lasted for less than second and I'd say the spot was around 10 inches in width by the time it reached the laser
Don't worry I was wearing goggles and am fine!
Long story short, the laser is now damaged and only outputs 0.4W... This made me wonder, do all lasers become damaged when their own beam (even if it is quite dispersed) comes back to its point of origin? Or is this some kind of inherent sensitivity that only some of the more finicky diodes have?
It should be noted that I tested this (beam back reflection) with one of my weaker reds and saw no damage
On a side note, does anybody know of an affordable supplier of one-way beam optics to protect a laser from its own beam? I know they exist and have real-world applications (like fiber optic communication laser protection, powerful laser cutters, etc.) but have yet to see a consumer-friendly solution
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts LPF!
Don't worry I was wearing goggles and am fine!
Long story short, the laser is now damaged and only outputs 0.4W... This made me wonder, do all lasers become damaged when their own beam (even if it is quite dispersed) comes back to its point of origin? Or is this some kind of inherent sensitivity that only some of the more finicky diodes have?
It should be noted that I tested this (beam back reflection) with one of my weaker reds and saw no damage
On a side note, does anybody know of an affordable supplier of one-way beam optics to protect a laser from its own beam? I know they exist and have real-world applications (like fiber optic communication laser protection, powerful laser cutters, etc.) but have yet to see a consumer-friendly solution
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts LPF!