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Laser beam
Types of CW Lasers for Analytics
Many analytical methods use a CW laser as excitation source. Physical principles of fluorescence, Raman
scattering, absorption, Rayleigh scattering employ laser beam for transferring energy to molecules, thus exciting
them or sometimes taking energy away. Where there is no need for high-resolution scanning or very uniform
illumination, various laser beams might be used. But whenever it comes to having a good ability to focus or
uniformity of intencity, just certain types of lasers can be picked.
The visible and NIR spectral regions can be covered with either laser sources having continuously tunable
wavelength, supercontinuum sources or smaller and much cheaper CW laser modules having discrete spectral lines
from UV to infrared. In this article, we focus on compact CW lasers and their specialty.
With respect to beam profile, continuous wave (CW) lasers can be categorized as having Single-Spatial-Mode (SM)
or Multiple Spatial Modes (MM). Spatial modes are also referred to as transversal modes or simply beam modes.
These modes are explained here.
Further, based on an operational principle, laser can be subcategorized as diode lasers or Diode-Pumped
Solid-State (DPSS) lasers. Eventually, Integrated Optics offers both of these subtypes in four different modules Free-Space (beam propagates directly from the laser module), Single-Mode Fiber (SMF; beam propagates through
optical fiber, which supports only single spatial mode), Multi-Mode Fiber (MMF; fiber supports multiple spatial
modes) and Polarization-Maintaining Fiber (PMF; SM fiber which is designed to maintain linear polarization during
propagation).
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collimates the highly divergent beam and the second lens focusses it. Alternativelly, a single aspheric lens can be
used to focus the beam for direct focusing, but in most cases it causes severe aberrations, larger beam and lots of
diffractions. By definition, beam quality implies a measure for how well a laser beam can be focused.
Beam Quality
For beam quality measurements in most cases a measurable variable M2 is being used and is defined as beam
quality factor. It is a quantity that represents the degree of variation of a beam from a perfect Gaussian beam at the
same wavelength, ideally 1. Most low-power DPSS lasers feature high beam quality, whereas high-power DPSS
lasers have much higher M2 factor, as thermal effects become stronger in a laser crystal. Diode lasers tend to have
poorer beam quality than DPPS, but low-power diode lasers M2 factor is still rather low - around 1.3. To conclude,
for achieving best focussable (highest quality) beams, low-power DPSS lasers is the best choice.
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Table 1. Comparison of different collimation methods for diode and DPSS lasers.
Type
Diode
DPSS
Collimation
Size
Cost
Ellipticity
Popularity
Beam
structure
Beam
focusability
Beam
diameter
control
Single aspheric
lens
small
average
high
high
poor
good
poor
Two cylindrical
lenses
average
high
average
average
fair
good
average
Aspheric lens +
anamorphic
prisms
large
high
low
high
fair
excellent
average
Uncollimated
small
low
low
high
excellent
excellent
poor
Single lens
small
average
low
high
good
excellent
fair
Two lenses
small
high
low
average
good
excellent
excellent
Fig. 3. Two anamorphic prisms can either expand or compress the beam, regarding the direction its propagating.
Fig 4. The shape and intensity distribution of a collimated laser diode beam change right before propagating through
the prisms (a), after expansion or compression by a pair of anamorphic prisms (b), after clipping by a circular
aperture (c), after a long distance propagation (d).
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Customers are often confused when they see beam profile images of diode lasers, especially in the near-field. In
case a diode laser is collimated using just one aspheric lens, the beam in the near-field is strongly elliptical and the
wave front looks distorted. Looking at these pictures customers start to think the focusability of such beam must be
poor.
Tests performed at Integrated Optics showed that in the wave front quality becomes better after a longer distance
of propagation or in a focal point. Herewith we provide 3 examples of aspheric-lens collimated laser diodes, where
the beam was focused with a long focal distance lens (f=200 mm). The tests reveal that close to the focal point the
intensity distribution in a beam cross-section becomes more homogeneous. Furthermore, the beam becomes round
on both sides of the focal spot and is elliptical in a perpendicular direction (with respect to the initial ellipticity) in the
focal plane.
Fig. 5. Focusability of a single aspheric lens collimated 405 nm laser diode. The table shows beam diameters in
vertical and horizontal direction as well as the calculated ellipticity.
Fig. 6. Magnified image of the focal plane of a 405 nm laser diode (please refer to Fig. 5).
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Fig. 7. Focusability of a single aspheric lens collimated 633 nm laser diode. The table shows beam diameters in
vertical and horizontal direction as well as the calculated ellipticity. In the near-field the beam homogeneity is better
as compared to the 405 nm laser, but has some tails in the vertical direction this is also mainly a property of the
diode itself.
Fig. 8. Magnified image of the focal plane of a 633 nm laser diode (please refer to Fig. 7).
Final Remarks
Laser beams are different, depending on the type of a laser (diode vs. DPSS), laser power, the methid of
collimation, and homogenization applied. Not all applications require a perfect beam, but those with high focusability
requirements need either a beam from a DPSS laser or a well filtered beam from an SM laser diode.
At Integrated Optics we offer several types of beam collimation. For demanding applications we always recommend
SM/PM fiber coupled lasers, wheras fiber coupling is offered at very competitive rates, as compared to competition
and provides much higher flexibility and virtually perfect beam quality.
DPSS lasers have better beam quality is most aspects, as compared to diode lasers but are more expensive.
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