Product/Service

ModeScan 1780 - Realtime M2 Measurements

Source: Photon Inc.
Real-time M2 measurements are now possible with the ModeScan 1780 laser beam profiler. With 10 measurement position acquired simultaneously, the ModeScan 1780 measures both CW and pulsed lasers down to single-shot rates.

Click Here To Download:
•Datasheet: ModeScan Model 1780
•Brochure: Camera Beam Profiler

Real-time M2 measurements are now possible with the ModeScan 1780 laser beam profiler. With 10 measurement position acquired simultaneously, the ModeScan 1780 measures both CW and pulsed lasers down to single-shot rates. Beam diameters are obtained with NIST-traceable accuracy to better than 2%, which translates to M2 measurements with accuracy to better than 4%.

The Real-time M2 measurement technique, patented by Photon Inc., uses 10 reflective surfaces to form simultaneous images of the propagating beam at 10 locations on a CCD array camera. The compactness of the system and the IEEE 1394 "FireWire" interface offers enhanced ease-of-use and portability. The ability to operate in any orientation allows for easy placement on any optical bench and saves valuable bench space.

The system is designed for use from ~250nm to 1100nm wavelengths. The standard configuration is supplied with a glass OD 2.8 C-mount neutral density filter for wavelengths >360nm, and an OD 3.0 Fused Silica Inconel neutral density filter for wavelengths <360nm. Because of the limited usefulness of exposure control with pulsed lasers, the Photon Inc. Model ATP is recommended for use with pulsed lasers with repetition rate <~10kHz and wavelength >360nm. For pulsed lasers with wavelength <360nm, a variable UV filter or a combination of UV filters will generally be required.

The FireWire system and the ModeScan 1780 operate under Photon's FireWire Acquisition and Analysis Software in Microsoft Windows. The software provides quantitative measurement of numerous beam spatial characteristics in accordance with the ISO 13694 standard and M2 parameters according to the ISO 11146 standard:

  • Beam Propagation Ratio M2
  • Divergence
  • Beam waist diameter
  • Beam waist location
  • Rayleigh length
  • Major and minor axes
  • Astigmatism

The software has two operational modes—M2 Beam Propagation mode and Beam Profiling mode. Under normal operation the M2 mode includes:

  • Live Video Window for displaying the 10 beam spots
  • Measurement View showing the beam caustics
  • Beam Statistics View, a tabular summary for the M2 parameters and beam diameters with Pass/Fail analysis
  • Time Statistics views with strip chart (up to 15)
  • Time displays summary statistics—overlays are also available
  • Notes view for entering text

If the user wishes to examine any of the beam profiles in more detail the Beam Profiling mode allows the following additional displays:

  • Dual Aperture Profile View
  • 2D Topographic View
  • 3D View
  • Pointing View

For data display and visualization, the user can arrange and size these multiple windows as required. These may contain, for example, the Video, Measurement, and Beam Statistics views. Such custom-configured instrument screens with multiple views can be saved as configuration files for repeated use. Data can be saved as program files, or exported to spreadsheets, math and statistical analysis programs and process/instrumentation control programs by sharing using ActiveX Automation, or by logging to files or COM ports.

Click Here To Download:
•Datasheet: ModeScan Model 1780
•Brochure: Camera Beam Profiler