Kryton DIY Green laser

[artix]

I'd have to agree on the green-first idea.

The crystal sets for green dpss have made major improvements in the last couple of years. Alignment isn't super-duper-critical to get at least a glimmer of green and optimize from there... I suspect this will be much much harder with a blue dpss - the processes being as inefficient as they are there, you'd have to get it exactly right to get any result at all.

It would probably be best to get some relatively availble to get parts (pump, crystals) and try to replicate the result from the german page. With readily available i mean parts that can be obtained in the future too by others - mind you that all crystal sets are different and interchanging them will not always work.

The variability in parts makes this already a much bigger challenge compared to the red/bluray barrel that will work with almost any diode that more or less fits mechanically.

I can read german to a reasonable degree, so if there are any translations required for an attempt i'd be happy to give it a go!

OK, so here are some words that couldn't be translated by google:

Aluplatten Auskoppelspiegel Pumpoptik Wärmeleitkleber gerkrümmte Grobjustage Pumpstrahlung

;D

 

[hydrogenman15]

Anything is possible to those determined enough!!!

I don't think this is gonna be as hard as people say it is. I mean the crystals are gonna take a while to align but if we could get 200-300mW's of green for such a low price compared to other companies it may be worth it. We are more then capable of doing this.

--hydro15

 

[Benm]

OK, so here are some words that couldn't be translated by google:

Aluplatten = aluminum plate
Auskoppelspiegel = output coupler? (lit: output coupling mirror)
Pumpoptik = pump optics (lens, i reckon)
Wärmeleitkleber = thermally conductive glue
gerkrümmte = bent
Grobjustage = course adjustment (opp fine adjustment)
Pumpstrahlung = pump radiation/light

As for the image:
kristall = crystal
kleines blech = small piece of (sheet) metal
tragerplate = carrier/mounting plate

 

[Benm]

I don't think this is gonna be as hard as people say it is. I mean the crystals are gonna take a while to align but if we could get 200-300mW's of green for such a low price compared to other companies it may be worth it. We are more then capable of doing this.

Well, at least we can find out

As for the 'such a low price' part of things: it isn't all that cheap really. Things like pump diodes and crystal sets required for 200 mW+ performance are not easy to find, and usually not very cheap either.

Considering a laser like this http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12341 - it will be a challenge to construct something that gives more bang for the buck at home... but then again, there is something cool about actually building a powerful green laser from scratch, isnt there?

 

[thesk8nmidget]

well i think a good start would be figuring out the diodes we'll use and how much they are... then figure out how to properly mount them and then a driver for them if they need to be pushed higher than some of the current drivers are capable of.

 

[Montana64]

Wow, that blue module is way complicated!! Ive seen fewer components under the hood of a car.


Ted

 

[Montana64]

It is quite apparent that there is one helluva lot of talent amongst the members of this forum. Kenom being among the top talents here. I read thru these threads every day for hours, and i am continuously amazed at the things some of you guys pull off with your tinkering and experimenting. I have faith that Kenom will accomplish this, especially with support of the highly talented forum members here. My talents are in the shallow end of the pool :-[ , but thats ok. Because of the generous talented ones that share thier knowledge and products here, we all are able to benefit!

Ted

 

[artix]

OK, so here are some words that couldn't be translated by google:  

Aluplatten = aluminum plate
Auskoppelspiegel = output coupler? (lit: output coupling mirror)
Pumpoptik = pump optics (lens, i reckon)
Wärmeleitkleber = thermally conductive glue
gerkrümmte = bent
Grobjustage = course adjustment (opp fine adjustment)
Pumpstrahlung = pump radiation/light

As for the image:
kristall = crystal
kleines blech = small piece of (sheet) metal
tragerplate = carrier/mounting plate

Thanks!

;D

 

[Benm]

well i think a good start would be figuring out the diodes we'll use and how much they are... then figure out how to properly mount them and then a driver for them if they need to be pushed higher than some of the current drivers are capable of.

Diode form factor is a first thing to consider, as there are quite some options there. The 5.6mm or TO-5 casings used for many pumps are tiny, but diodes commonly available. I've also seen some diodes in TO-3 casings, but those tend to be expensive... TO-3 is an excellent case from a thermal perspective though. And then there are C-mounts, which i dont have any experience with, but seem quite common for higher power levels and also good from a thermal point of view.

I reckon the easiest-to-obtain starting point would be shopping at snoctony, using a TO-3 diode and the combined Nd:YVO/KPT crystal set. As a proof of principle it should be feasible to make a setup the same style the german did to figure out proper distances, lenses and such.

 

[Kenom]

Well I was quoted $55 for a 2 Watt c-mount. Whether that has a fast axis lens or not I wasn't able to determine. I was not looking at using any other diode in this but the c-mount. It's thermal properties and mounting options make it an easy diode to use. Plus with the way the c-mount mounts, it gives us some options in moving it a slight bit this way and that to adjust for potentially better alignment.

 

[Benm]

That sounds like an affordable pump diode, at least when its output wavelength is suitable and has limited tolerance.

I'm not totally sure a fast axis optic would be required for this application - as we would be using only one pump diode, it is probably possible to focus it well enough with an ordinary lens... especially since we would pump the crystal from the rear, not the side(s).

 

[randomlugia]

And just think, we'll all be building 100mW greens in a few years.  ;D

Just look at this post I found on Bluray page 16- (only a year old!)

What! There are 130mw violets!?   Were can you get them!?

Take a look at eBay, there are buy-it-nows for $400, and auctions at $200! You could get a laser that burns stuff that's violet at a higher output that a lot of greenies for the same price! But then there's the problem of frying the diode so easily. But still, some guy who knows electronics could make a fortune selling those as laser modules.

 

[Benm]

Well, one difference is that a violet diode is a component for a mass-market consumer product (blu-ray writer), whereas the ingredients for green lasers only have very specific applications. Especially the crystal set is something that only finds application in building laser pointers, -shows and such.

If there was some broader consumer market that required bright lasers, development would be much quicker. Laser projection could be one of those applications, but it seems like it will take a long time for that to hit mainstream... this is more due to the lack of affordable blue than green, but it would need the full RGB set to be feasible.

 

[Kenom]

I'm looking forward to Laser TV. I'll probably use the doggone thing for laser shows as well as viewing my favorite movies.

 

[Dark_Horse]

Kenom,
I think a DIY-DPSS host is a great idea. I am going to be playing with some of the non-functional Aries Laser-hosts from Scopeguy/LaserGlow's clearance sale to practice with. I would really like to make a DPSS-blue in one of your barrels!! ;D
BTW, I agree, C-mount all the way!
Thanks for the great products Ken!!

 

[Benm]

One good thing is that the design of the mechanics shouldn't be different for green or blue, provided that you can obtain or construct a dpss blue crystal set.

C-mount would be the most versatile option for the pump diode. Perhaps it would be best to first create more of a lab/optical bench style setup to try things out.

Kenom, do you have some links to components like diodes and crystals you would consider using?