From optics.org
In a development that will be welcomed by those awaiting the advent of high-brightness pico-projectors, Germany’s Osram Opto Semiconductors (Osram OS) has launched its first diode lasers to emit directly in the green region of the spectrum.
The lack of compact green emitters has long represented a major gap in the armory of semiconductor laser manufacturers – so much so that the phenomenon even has its own name: the “green gap”.
Until recently, this has meant that most compact green lasers are in fact infrared devices, combined with frequency-doubling crystal optics. As well as being bulkier than their red- and blue-emitting equivalents, this adds optical complexity and reduces electrical efficiency – a particularly important consideration if pico-projectors are to be incorporated into products such as smart phones or tablets. As a result, most existing pico-projectors are based on LEDs rather than lasers, offer a much lower brightness and can only really be used in dark rooms.
Now Osram’s LED and laser diode making subsidiary has released two devices, one emitting at 50 mW with a peak wavelength of 520 nm, the other 30 mW at 515 nm. The lasers, which the company says have been optimized for cost and mass production, are set for a volume ramp before the end of 2012. More: Osram targets projectors with green diode ramp
In a development that will be welcomed by those awaiting the advent of high-brightness pico-projectors, Germany’s Osram Opto Semiconductors (Osram OS) has launched its first diode lasers to emit directly in the green region of the spectrum.
The lack of compact green emitters has long represented a major gap in the armory of semiconductor laser manufacturers – so much so that the phenomenon even has its own name: the “green gap”.
Until recently, this has meant that most compact green lasers are in fact infrared devices, combined with frequency-doubling crystal optics. As well as being bulkier than their red- and blue-emitting equivalents, this adds optical complexity and reduces electrical efficiency – a particularly important consideration if pico-projectors are to be incorporated into products such as smart phones or tablets. As a result, most existing pico-projectors are based on LEDs rather than lasers, offer a much lower brightness and can only really be used in dark rooms.
Now Osram’s LED and laser diode making subsidiary has released two devices, one emitting at 50 mW with a peak wavelength of 520 nm, the other 30 mW at 515 nm. The lasers, which the company says have been optimized for cost and mass production, are set for a volume ramp before the end of 2012. More: Osram targets projectors with green diode ramp
