Photon Announces New Automated Technique Of M² Measurement

San Jose, CA - Laser quality is being increasingly defined by a parameter called M² and new demands are being put on laser manufacturers to measure this parameter in a more accurate and repeatable way with higher speed. Photon announces the implementation of a new automated M² measurement technique for its M² production measurement tool, the NanoModeScan. The Photon NanoModeScan automatically acquires the data and calculates M² without any user intervention. The algorithm for this new feature is based on the Rayleigh Method of determining M² . The Rayleigh method is automated such that the profiler positions for the measurement are automatically determined, and the profiler tool is automatically moved to the correct positions for the M² measurement. This full automation is critical, since determining M² for a laser often involves a trial and error process that is undesirable in manufacturing environments.

The Photon NanoModeScan allows for a broad range of lasers with different wavelengths, different beam powers, and different laser pulse frequencies to be measured with a single measurement tool. A complete M-squared measurement can be generated in seconds. The system includes a Photon NanoScan profiling tool mounted on a motorized computer controlled stage and a software package that simplifies the process and displays the data for production environments.

SOURCE: Photon Inc.