News | August 24, 2001

New Deep-Blue DPSS Laser Competes with Helium Cadmium Systems

Source: Melles Griot Laser Group

Carlsbad, CA — Melles Griot has introduced a new single-frequency laser series, operating in the deep-blue spectral region. The new 58 BTL series of diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) lasers, which operate at 430 nm with a single longitudinal mode, produce low-noise, single-frequency output with less than two percent peak-to-peak noise. "For the first time, all solid-state reliability and performance is available in this critical region of the spectrum," says Dean Hodges, director of marketing and business development for DPSS products at the Melles Griot Laser Group. According to Dr. Hodges, the violet wavelength is particularly suited for fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy, confocal microscopy, and DVD mastering applications, and the long coherence length that results from the single-longitudinal-mode is ideal for long-path-length holography.

These new DPSS lasers are available with output powers of 5 or 8 mW. The beam is nearly circular (a 1.25:1 aspect ratio), linearly polarized, and has an M2 factor of less than 1.3. The compact, conduction-cooled laser head incorporates thermoelectric cooling (TEC) and automatic power control (APC) for stable long-term operation with power drift over 24 hours of less than 5 percent. Laser head dimensions are only 2.8 x 2.8 x 6.3 in. 3 (780 cm3) excluding cooling plate and beam circularization optics.

The autoranging universal power supply operates at voltages ranging from 90° to 240° V and frequencies from 47 to 63 Hz. A standard RS-232 serial interface is provided for computerized operation.

The 58 BTL series lasers are available in both OEM and CDRH/IEC-compliant configurations. Systems are available with free-space or fiber-optic beam delivery systems.

Melles Griot also manufactures blue (457-nm), green (532 nm) and infrared (1064 nm) DPSS lasers with cw output power as high as 400 mW, 3 W, and 5 W respectively.

Melles Griot is a leading global supplier of photonics products including optics, lasers, motion-control systems for the telecommunications industry, laser measurement instrumentation, and opto-mechanical hardware. The company has manufacturing and distribution activity in 41 countries worldwide and is a member of Barloworld Scientific.

Melles Griot Laser Group, 2051 Palomar Airport Road, Suite 200, Carlsbad, CA 92009. Tel: 760-438-2131; Fax: 760-438-5208.