Ophir-Spiricon Announces New Neutral Density Laser Beam Filters For UV

Ophir-Spiricon, the global leader in precision laser measurement, recently announced the UV ND Filter system, a family of modular, slide-in neutral density attenuators and a C-mount holder designed to attenuate UV laser beams so they are at the proper intensity for CCD or Pyroelectric cameras. The filters work on lasers in the 190 to 380nm range and cover, for example, Excimer, Helium Cadmium, and Nd:YAG UV harmonic wavelengths.

The UV ND Filters include a C-mount holder for universal application to Ophir-Spiricon's CCD and Pyroelectric cameras. Three filter holders are provided with two filters in each holder. Application is quick and easy. A holder is slid into the housing slot, and then a click is felt when the filter is properly aligned with the beam. Six filters provide an attenuation range of 0.3 to 6.0 optical densities (OD), permitting best use of the dynamic range of beam profiling cameras. The filters include 0.3, 0.7, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 OD. Two filters can be used at once for attenuation in 0.3 or 0.4 OD steps.

"Most ND filters that are used to attenuate laser beams are made from bulk absorbing SCHOTT glass," stated Gary Wagner, President, Ophir-Spiricon. "But glass does not transmit wavelengths shorter than about 390nm. Ophir-Spiricon's UV ND Filters are made from Fused Silica with an Inconel coating on one surface to effect the attenuation of incident light. The filters are tilted to eliminate any parallel, reflecting surfaces that can cause interference effects."

The UV ND Filters provide a 20mm clear aperture that will not vignette any of the compatible cameras. The damage threshold is 100W/cm2 for CW lasers and 20mJ/cm2 for nanosecond pulse wide lasers. For attenuation of high power UV lasers, the company's LBS-300 Beam Sampler contains a set of the UV ND Filters and measures power levels from 10mW to 400W.

Pricing and Availability
The UV ND Filters are available now. OEM pricing is available on request.

About Ophir-Spiricon
Established in 1978, Ophir-Spiricon is part of the Ophir Optronics Laser Measurement Group. The Laser Measurement Group provides a complete line of instrumentation including power and energy meters, beam profilers, spectrum analyzers, and goniometric radiometers. Dedicated to continuous innovation in laser measurement, the company holds a number of patents, including Ultracal, the baseline correction algorithm that helped establish the ISO 11146-3 standard for beam measurement accuracy. The recently acquired Photon family of products includes the low noise NanoScan scanning-slit technology which is capable of measuring the waist of a collimated mm diameter laser beam to within a centimeter. The company's modular, customizable solutions serve manufacturing, medical, military, and research industries throughout the world. For more information, visit http://www.ophir-spiricon.com.

SOURCE: Ophir-Spiricon