Februrary 2021

Read the​​ IL Photonics​​ blog​​ on our website​​ for the latest news from our suppliers.​​ We are two for two! For the​​ second straight year, Feedspot has selected our blog as the​​ 15th best photonics blog worldwide.

Subscribe to the​​ IL Photonics YouTube channel. The Channel tab features links to the YouTube channels of our suppliers.

Light Conversion​​ is​​ happy to announce​​ that the new​​ 2021 product catalog "FEMTOSECOND LASER SYSTEMS FOR SCIENCE" is​​ now​​ available online.

The ER902 µLaser from MegaWatt Lasers is a Q-switched, Diode Pumped Solid-State Laser (DPSSL) with Er:glass as the gain element.​​ 

The laser generates pulses at a wavelength of 1.535 µm with 100 kW peak power and a pulse duration of 4 ns. Typical repetition rate is 10 Hz, but the laser may be operated at kHz rates for a few pulses.

Laser Quantum offers three diode-pumped solid state (DPSS) lasers with a range of output wavelengths designed for​​ laser lithography applications.​​ The gem series is available with​​ 473,​​ 532​​ and​​ 660​​ nm output options.

By using a combination of hermetic sealing and an active fast feedback system, the gem can achieve outstanding levels of power and stability in all output beam characteristics. All three systems have a single traverse mode and their small, compact footprint makes them easy to integrate into larger platforms.

Here are a few examples of some of the amazing microscopy done with Light Conversion lasers and OPAs:

• Functional neuroimaging deep inside a zebrafish brain using three-photon excitation (using OPA ORPHEUS F​​ configuration)

• Live widefield label-free SHG imaging of fruit fly larva (using PHAROS laser)

• 3D structural harmonic imaging of TPPS aggregates (using FLINT laser)

Hot electron relaxation and transport in nanostructures​​ involves a multitude of ultrafast processes relevant for applications in photocatalysis and optoelectronics. Researchers employ time-resolved photoemission electron microscopy (Tr-PEEM) using the​​ PHAROS​​ laser from Light Conversion​​ to image the relaxation of photogenerated hot electrons within InAs nanowires on a femtosecond time scale.

A unique light source is required to provide the high pulling rates of materials with very high melting points for processes such as Laser Heated Pedestal Growth (LHPG).

The AL30-ST-FCCL from Access Laser provides the required functionality in a compact size, allowing easy integration into the complex vacuum system that holds the target crystal.

Color centers​​ are of high interest in quantum technologies as single-photon sources or spin qubits. Researchers from Australia and Japan have applied PHAROS femtosecond (fs) lasers to generate vacancy-related color centers. The work highlights the simplicity and flexibility of laser writing of color center arrays.

The PHAROS laser from Light Conversion is an​​ fs laser system combining mJ pulse energies and high average powers. PHAROS features a mechanical and optical design optimized for industrial applications.

Cube polarizers form Manx Precision Optics feature a dielectric beam-splitting coating that is applied to the hypotenuse of one of the two prisms that comprise the cube.​​ 

These prisms can be glued or optically contacted for more high power applications. Unlike polarizing filters which absorb, cube polarizers are filters that reflect S-waves at 45° and transmit P-waves through the assembly.

An​​ optical homogenizer​​ is an optical component that makes the intensity profile of a light beam more uniform.​​ 

There are two groups of homogenizers:

• Random scattering diffusers​​ work by creating a random phase profile with some typical scale on the beam front.

• Controlled scattering homogenizers, also called beam shaping diffusers, are highly defined phase surfaces that scatter the light in pre-defined angles and intensity ratios per angle.

For more information,​​ contact Holo/Or.​​ 

The basic and most distinct advantage of a diffractive optical lens is its dimensions: simply being flat, thin and easy to integrate is in many cases enough to “seal the deal.”

Take a diffractive axicon (left lens in the image above), as opposed to its refractive, thick, bulky, pyramid-like counterpart (right lens in the image above). There is no doubt that the diffractive option is the easier one to use.

For more information about this or other​​ Holo/Or​​ products, contact Holo/Or.

The use of diffractive optical elements (DOEs) in aesthetic laser treatments is well established in procedures such as fractional skin treatment and tattoo removal.

Such diffractive elements from​​ Holo/Or​​ can be tailored to any pair of wavelengths – treatment at wavelengths 1064 nm, 1550 nm, 2940 nm, or any other, and guide lasers at any visible wavelength.