Pulsed Lasers Blog Posts

Combat zones can be extremely chaotic. With a massive influx of sensory input, implementing clear communication, rugged tools, and reliable instrumentation is key to a successful mission. One of the most challenging tasks in any aerial combat situation is determining which assets on the ground to target and which ones to avoid. Because of this challenge, a practice, commonly referred to as “painting the target,” was developed and has been successfully deployed for many years, allowing ground forces to identify and designate targets for successful engagement by aeria… Read More

Q-switching is the most effective method for producing high energy pulsed lasers.  While there are many different varieties of a q-switch, they all follow the same basic operating principle.  Q-switches temporarily increase the cavity losses so that the gain threshold is artificially high preventing the laser from emitting light.  This process allows the population inversion inside of the gain medium to grow until it becomes fully sa… Read More

A significant and well-recognized difference between lasers and conventional, incoherent light sources, is the ability to concentrate laser emission in short pulses, with durations going down to a few femtoseconds, containing potentially only a few optical cycles. Technically, you can drive an incoherent LED source using current pulses. However, each pulse would have a maximum power (i.e. a peak power) equal to the average power of the same device if a continuous bias were applied. Only laser cavities can concentrate the stored energy within active materials in such a way to achieve peak powers orders of magnitude higher than their ave… Read More

In that blog post we cited NATO standard STANAG 3733, which required that the laser beam have a divergence small enough so that 90% of its energy is on target 95% of the time assuming a 2.3 x 2.3 m target.  We went on to explain that most laser designators are designed to be used at distances up to 5 km.  Therefore, one of the most critical factors when choosing a laser source is the beam d… Read More

Spectroscopy is a class of analysis methods meant for chemical species identification and concentration measurement, based on emission spectra detection, if irradiated by an adequate light source. Fluorescence-based spectroscopy is one of the oldest spectroscopic techniques. This technique utilizes electron-photon interactions and relies on the absorption of high-energy photons and the subsequent emission of lower-energy, longer-wavelength fluorescence photons, with the energy difference associated with vibrationa… Read More

Nearly one-third of all Americans have at least one tattoo, and of those who do roughly one-quarter of them say they regret getting it.  As a result, nearly 27 million people in the United States alone have at least one unwanted tattoo.   Based on these numbers it is easy to see why the world-wide tattoo removal market exceeded 11.6 billion dollars in 2016.  The vast majority of these procedures are done using laser-based tattoo removal treatments because they result in the least amount of sc… Read More

In actively Q-switched lasers, the user controls the pulsed laser output, so that no laser pulse emission occurs without providing a proper input signal, aka “the trigger”. Due to the trigger signal propagation through the interface electronics, the Q-switch driver chain, and the laser resonator build-up time, a time delay (Td) is present between the externally-supplied trigger signal and the actual laser pulse emitted by the laser source. The Td can show fluctuations if any electronics or optics involved in the pulse generation process have a functional varianc… Read More

Industrial laser induced breakdown spectroscopy typically involves the elemental analysis of various metals. In our previous application note titled “Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) in Biomedical Applications,” we discussed the fundamentals of the technique, emphasizing the use of q-switched diode-pumped solid-state lasers as the excitation source. In this blog post, we are going to explore the possibility of utilizing nanosecond pulsed fiber lasers as the excitation source. We will also discuss the pros and cons of that approach, specifically for the characterization of metals and metal… Read More

The popularity of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been rapidly growing since its introduction in the 1960s, and is now used in industrial, military, scientific, and medical applications.  Nowadays LIBS is rapidly becoming an indispensable tool for elemental analysis and is generally viewed as a complementary technique to other elemental methods such as mass spectrometry.  Within the medical field, LIBS can be used for analyzing hard/calcified tissues, soft tissues, biomedical specimens; as well as disease detection and even during laser-guided surgery.  In this application note, we will explore these uses of LIBS in the medical/biomedical application space, by taking a look at some of the common applications as well as both laser and system requirements.  It is important to note that … Read More

Injection molding is a widely used process for rapidly mass-producing low cost highly uniform mechanical parts.  On a cursory level, it is a relatively straight forward process by which molten material (metal, glass, polymer, etc.) is injected into a hollowed-out cavity, cooled down to solidify, and then ejected.  This results in the material being permanently shaped to the internal cavity of the mold.  This process has been around for hundreds if not thousands of years with the original molds being made out of clay and then broken apart to reveal the fini… Read More

RPMC Lasers is proud to announce that two of our esteemed partners, Seminex Corporation and Spectrolight, Inc., have been honored with the 2024 Innovators Awards from Laser Focus World. This prestigious recognition highlights their exceptional contributions to the photonics industry and underscores their commitment to innovation and exc… Read More

RPMC Lasers is proud to announce that one of our esteemed partners, SPECTROLIGHT, Inc., has been honored with the 2024 Optical & Photonics EDGE Award from Laser Focus World. Receiving this distinguished honor emphasizes their remarkable contributions to the field of photonics and highlights their unwavering commitment to innovation and superio… Read More

In the realm of spectral imaging, tunable lasers, with their ability to meticulously adjust their output wavelengths, serve as the cornerstone for various spectral imaging applications. From the delicate tissues of a biological specimen to the robust components of industrial machinery, tunable lasers play a key role in identifying the composition of materials and imaging intricate features. This versatility not only enhances the precision of imaging but also expands the horizons of scientific discovery and technological i… Read More

Tunable lasers have proven to be great assets for numerous applications. Various types of laser spectroscopy, and many other scientific applications benefit from the wavelength tunability, narrow linewidths and output power provided by tunable lasers. Tunable OPO lasers provide great benefits for many spectroscopy and other applications, with their small footprint and wide range of wavelength t… Read More

In business for over 20 years, with nearly 10,000 units fielded to date, the experts at Bright Solutions provide a world-class level of quality, customer care, and service. Their wealth of knowledge in laser engineering and applications experience has led to the development and continuous improvement of multiple series of high-quality custom DP… Read More

We have written several articles about various forms of LIDAR and the laser requirements needed to ensure a successful application. In this article, we are going to compile and briefly review some of this previously covered material. Then we will cover some benefits of choosing compact fiber lasers over some of the other options for your LIDAR ap… Read More

A thin disk laser is a type of diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) laser technology in which the gain medium is comprised of a thin disk of typically Yb:YAG crystal. The invention of the thin disk laser came in 1991 through collaboration between the German Aerospace Center and a group at the University of … Read More

Microchip laser technology is a perfect option for various LIDAR-based applications, as well as LIBS, spectroscopy, micromachining, and more. Microchip lasers are typically compact and lightweight, allowing for easier and more efficient integration in airborne and portable, handheld applications, and the laser characteristics are in line with LIDAR requirements for collecting … Read More

Combat zones can be extremely chaotic. With a massive influx of sensory input, implementing clear communication, rugged tools, and reliable instrumentation is key to a successful mission. One of the most challenging tasks in any aerial combat situation is determining which assets on the ground to target and which ones to avoid. This determination is particularly challenging when enemy assets are camouflaged or hidden amongst civili… Read More

With the discontinuation of the Coherent Helios laser, some people find themselves having to source a replacement laser before production is stalled. RPMC is here to help alleviate your frustration when trying to source a suitable replacement… Read More

Quantum Light Instruments’ (QLI’s) main product line is the Quantas Family.  This family of lasers offers compact, air-cooled, high-energy, low rep rate, DPSS lasers at the fundamental wavelengths of 1064 and 1053nm, as well as the less common 1163, 1177, 1300, 1317, 1551 and 1571nm options. They offer standard harmonic wavelengths, through the 5th harmonic (211 and 213nm), with the addition of an external harmonics module. The Quantas Family was designed for a wide range of applications that require high peak power / high ener… Read More

This article presents a rugged, compact, high-quality, tunable ultrafast laser system designed for nonlinear spectroscopy and imaging such as CRS, SRS, and CARS. This system provides high beam quality, extremely narrow linewidth, and high-intensity ultrafast pulses in several wavelength regions, providing a unique solution in the field of laser spectroscopy an… Read More

Short wavelength infrared (SWIR) applications like laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), night vision, range finding, and time-of-flight (ToF) LiDAR benefit from the utilization of rugged, low SWaP. These applications often require the associated hardware components to be resistant to harsh environmental conditions in the field. Operating temperature range, shock and vibration, and size, weight, and power constraints are among the critical considerations when choosing the right laser tr… Read More

In business for over 20 years, with nearly 10,000 units fielded, the experts at Bright Solutions have built a history of success and have gained a vast amount of applications experience. In their modern applications lab, ideal for proof-of-concept testing and sample processing, they provide a host of DPSS laser configurations with a range of wavelengths and power levels, have a dedicated staff with years of application experience, and even offer process developmen… Read More

The Q-TUNE tunable DPSS laser from Quantum Light Instruments has everything you need to enhance and simplify your spectroscopy application. A user-friendly web interface, gives you the freedom to control the laser remotely from any computer or smart phone browser without having to download or install software. The advanced, microprocessor-controlled operation allows for automated self-optimization, self-calibration, and hands-free tuning at the click of… Read More