What is the most powerful laser of each color?

[NRGLite]

Hi guys! Long time no see.
So researchin' around, I found out that someone had made a 7.3 W Blu and that is just awesome. It appears to me that 2W seems the threshold for green, but I don't really know about the other colors. Red? Yellow? Purple? Infrared? And what might be the highest possible threshold for each (like with conventional methods like knife-edging, PB cubes, you know... stuff we poor citizens can have access to :crackup? Might have a crack at some of the records:evil:

 

[NightExplorer96]

Hi guys! Long time no see.
So researchin' around, I found out that someone had made a 7.3 W Blu and that is just awesome. It appears to me that 2W seems the threshold for green, but I don't really know about the other colors. Red? Yellow? Purple? Infrared? And what might be the highest possible threshold for each (like with conventional methods like knife-edging, PB cubes, you know... stuff we poor citizens can have access to :crackup? Might have a crack at some of the records:evil:

532nm DPSS can easily go upwards of 15W's in a labby style if you have the funds available

Not sure about the rest but I know a lot of money can get you 700mW+ of 593.5 & 2mW's of 500.1

-Alex

 

[hakzaw1]

Unless you are talking only handhelds- you will see a lot more on 'big' lasers at the 'big laser' forum-- new post showing innards of 30W 450 2 'rows' of 4 knife-edged diodes cubed with another 4- yet very small---& who knows what the GOVT/milt. lasers are making now- asking might get one arrested--

see the vids of 'tunedcavity' at Ytube- he has held several records several times-(Joe in Toronto) his stuff is awesome.

hk

 

[The Lightning Stalker]

That depends. How would you define a
"laser" and "color"?

Do you lump the entire infrared infrared
spectrum together into one "color"?

Are multi-emitter diodes and bars disqualified?

Does gas count?

Solid state and DPSS, masers, FEL

 

[VisibleGreen]

Whoa to answer that question accurately we would have to compile a huge list of available components.
I think it's safe to say that for 405nm the best option is the 16X BDR-209 diode.

 

[Pi R Squared]

He did say "stuff we poor citizens can have access to" so that probably excludes some of the kind of stuff you find only in scientific laboratories and research universities and government labs. I am sure many members here especially newer ones less knowledgeable would like to keep up on these things so hopefully there will be a few more posts about this.

Alan

 

[hakzaw1]

id be interested in cost per mW- - isnt the 640 nm (?)1w the brighest red -best spot shape ( & most spendy)?--

DTR has a pricey one at greedbay- iirc 4W 450nm
$3??.00
sumtin.
most expensive per mW might be yellow or orange dpss (handelds)

...

 

[The Lightning Stalker]

He did say "stuff we poor citizens can have access to" so that probably excludes some of the kind of stuff you find only in scientific laboratories and research universities and government labs. I am sure many members here especially newer ones less knowledgeable would like to keep up on these things so hopefully there will be a few more posts about this.

Alan

Okay, absolutely right. I didn't catch
that. So that would definitely exclude
FEL, and probably masers. For 520nm,
450nm, and 405nm, one only need visit DTR's
site. There are the NDB7A75, NDG7475, and
BDR-209 for blue green and violent,
respectively. For 462nm, there are some
strange diodes emerging from China in
nonstandard packages that have multiple
emitters. rhd has been experimenting with
those recently.

532nm is available up to around 100W
depending on how much you want to spend and
how much time you want to invest. Of
course even higher powers are possible, but
the cost becomes prohibitive.

There have been some new 638nm diodes
coming out recently. There is a weird 9mm
diode with twin beams. Then there is a 4W
C-mount that has a FAC I am still testing.

The most you can get @ 650-660nm right now
is 1W, and it is a C-mount. Higher than
that and you begin getting close to IR. I
am going to wait for the OP to respond
before going further because this is where
things begin to look less like lasers as
most people know them.

 

[hakzaw1]

@OP 'And what might be the highest possible threshold for each (like with conventional methods like knife-edging, PB cubes, you know... stuff we poor citizens can have access to." there is no answer to that question- if somebody combines 100 diodes another will combine 102- so while we DO have access.. its not unlimited access or assests- ha ha

combining several 4-5W 9mm 450s would not break the bank and for output per $- that would be the winner of the (visible)mW contest. and small too-

 

[joeyss]

Wouldn't combing the new 16x 405s be better for burning as they're all single mode so you'd be able to pull off slightly better beam specs?
imagine a 8 watt 405 nm laser from 10 single mode diodes. bet that be nice or even half that power from 5.

I'd kill to see a 405nm beam that bright.

 

[SB241]

On my LPM I have seen in a hand held:

445nm hit 6.4w
520nm hit 1.8w
638nm hit 1.2w

I'm sure that's not the limit right now, but it is possible.

 

[NRGLite]

Wow thanks everybody!
Yea, scouring DTR's site, he seems to have some CHEAP 700 mW reds. I might knife edge 'em, though I've never done it before and I hope i won't mess anything up.:yabbem: io heard knife edgoing increases the beam diameter..right?

 

[Pi R Squared]

Wow thanks everybody!
Yea, scouring DTR's site, he seems to have some CHEAP 700 mW reds. I might knife edge 'em, though I've never done it before and I hope i won't mess anything up.:yabbem: io heard knife edgoing increases the beam diameter..right?

Yes that's correct it results in a larger beam, and those reds already have a larger beam, I don't have one yet myself so I can't speak from experience with them yet, but those high power reds have a larger ribbon shaped beam instead of a rectangle or round dot.

Alan

 

[NRGLite]

Yes that's correct it results in a larger beam, and those reds already have a larger beam, I don't have one yet myself so I can't speak from experience with them yet, but those high power reds have a larger ribbon shaped beam instead of a rectangle or round dot.

Alan

All in all, does that mean that it combines the beams? Or does it merely 'lay' them side by side?

 

[The Lightning Stalker]

It puts them side-by-side. They can then
be focused down with another lens, but it
isn't as energy dense as stacking them on
top one another. The only way to do that
is with a cube.

Something just occurred to me. It may
possible to use multiple cubes and flip
polarization after each cube using a half
wave plate. It would only be practical if
the wave plates had low enough loss. Has
anyone thought of this before or tried this?

 

[NRGLite]

Good idea. But I am an 0ptics n00b t00