This application note explains how to understand the spectral characteristics of a Gentec-EO detector. In this text, you will find, among others, a clear definition for calibrated spectral range, range of available wavelengths and spectral range.

At Gentec-EO, we understand that the essence of our business since over 45 years has been delivering accuracy. There are no half measures: it either measures accurately or it doesn’t. This is why one of our company’s values is “rigorousness”, because our customers expect nothing less.

The objective of this application note is to inform Gentec Electro-Optics’ distributors and clients about two aspects of photodetectors that are believed to cause some confusion and raise questions. 

In industrial fiber laser applications like welding and soldering, it is rarely useful to measure the power of a laser beam before the end of the line since problems can occur after the point of measurement, at almost any point along the path that the light follows before it reaches the processed material.

Over the past few decades, high power lasers have become ubiquitous in the automotive industry. Nowadays, they are used to process numerous vehicle parts. Laser welding is one of the techniques that have been considerably developed and improved over time. 

So your laser power detector is supposed to be good up to 110W and you damaged its surface with a 30W laser? Sounds familiar? Why is this happening? Let’s find out!

Laser beams tend to be very small when you want to look at the beam profile at their focal point or when they are collimated. It’s a challenge that we won’t cover here. What we will cover here is what to do when the beam doesn’t fit in your beam profiler sensor.

If you are involved with pulsed lasers at any level in research, product development, final test, process control, field service or laser safety, it is important to accurately measure the energy of your laser(s). In this technical paper, you will learn about the parameters that needed to consider when selecting and using a pyroelectric detector, and about the typical steps for making good energy measurements.

If you work with CW or pulsed lasers, you need to accurately measure your laser power. The more you know about the measurement process, the better. This paper shares basic technical insights in the laser measurement field with the use of a thermopile detector.

The Gentec-EO QUAD-4Track takes advantage of the superior performance of their Pyroelectric Quadrant Detectors over Silicon quad and lateral effect photodiodes. These QUAD-E detectors are designed to measure pulsed lasers and QUAD-P detectors for CW or Quasi-CW lasers. The QUAD- 4Track Laser Position Monitor is a powerful, 4-channel, microprocessor-based instrument that not only measures beam position, but also the power or energy of the laser. This application note provides a basic overview of these products and their capabilities.

How does the performance of a Golay Cell compare to that of a LiTaO3 Pyroelectric Detector? This application note reviews how these two detectors work and compares their performance specifications to help you make the best decision on which to use for measuring THz radiation.

A pyroelectric detector is a fast, AC current source used to measure a wide range of pulses with high accuracy in the DUV, VIS, near IR, mid IR, far IR, and even THz wavelength ranges. This application note discusses how they work, what goes into their designs, and basic equations that govern their performance.

Different experiment requirements can define the different degrees of vacuum that are obtained within an environment. This can create a number of challenges when it comes to making laser measurements. Depending on the vacuum level and customer’s requirements, Gentec- EO offers different solutions for things like outgassing issues, signal transmission, and heat dissipation.

The automotive industry is a demanding sector in which craftsmanship, precision and quality are indispensable.One wrong step can lead to catastrophic failures in a production line, where everything already works in harmony to obtain optimal results.

This technical note guides the reader through basic precautions and good practices that will permit the most accurate measurements possible with the Gentec-EO meter. The paper also provides tools to help identify the possible sources of discrepancies between the measurements.

There are many ways to find the laser beam measurement instrument you need on Gentec-EO’s website. Some browse by themselves through our product filter pages, some uses the search bar, while others use our product finder tool.

The sun, stars and fire are natural sources of ordinary light. We recognize the light received by the human eye as white, whether it is the light of a lamp or the sun. However, we do not notice the spectrum of colors that make white, except through a prism by which light can be decomposed into different components.

Now that you got your hands on a brand-new Gentec-EO laser power or laser energy detector, you may be wondering when will you have to let go this awesome piece of technology for recalibration. Or maybe it’s the dusty detector that you found in a colleague's drawer and you are wondering if the calibration is still valid.

If you want to measure the power of your laser, you need a detector and a power meter. There is a wide variety of detectors and power meters available, and not all of them are compatible with each other.

This article discusses the various types of detectors and the differences between them, thus creating an understanding of why a pyroelectric detector is a great choice, providing advantages over other types of detectors.

Gentec-EO often fields questions about what interfacing options are available with their power and energy detectors. Interfacing here refers to the different methods by which you can communicate with the detector, may it be to read its output, change its settings or display the measurements in a user interface, etc.

A question that often comes up at Gentec-EO is about the minimum pulse width that a pulsed laser should have to be properly measured by one of our energy detectors. Our specs sheets almost always show a maximum pulse width, but what about the minimum pulse width, eh?

A recurring question that we hear at Gentec-EO is about the minimum repetition rate that a pulsed laser should have to be properly measured by one of our power detectors.

Laser beam measurement noise can affect both beam diameter and power measurements. In most cases, these erroneous readings are larger than they are supposed to be. This article outlines how to minimize background noise and improve reading accuracy. 

Output power is one of the most critical parameters of laser cutting machines which could decrease over time due to wear and tear or user errors. Therefore, diagnosing it by using appropriate power monitoring instruments and techniques is easy and saves time and money for your business.

This article offers 6 expert tips on how to measure laser power properly for a wide range of applications.

This article explores the common misconception in laser beam measurement that there is a minimum pulse width specification for a laser energy meter.

This article will cover the recurring concept of laser power stability, which is critical to better understand when you want to optimize your current or future setup involving Gentec-EO detectors.

It is common to search for the measurement solution with the lowest uncertainty of measurement for laser processes involved in demanding applications such as medical device manufacturing or aerospace parts manufacturing, where traceability is key to a production line. Calibration uncertainty of a laser power meter or energy meter may not be the only specification needed checked. Repeatability, linearity and noise equivalent power or energy are other specifications that must be checked out as well. Let’s make it simple! This article will help you select the right detector for your laser measurement needs and quickly.

How do you get the most accurate measurements possible from your laser power meter? Are there simple step-by-step instructions on how to make a power measurement the same way a laser expert would? Yes! This article offers a guide on how to measure laser power accurately using a Gentec-EO thermal laser power meter.

A pure Gaussian beam with a TEM₀₀ profile and a bell-shaped curve that spreads on infinitely is never achieved. This guide introduces the concept of laser beam quality measurement with the M2 parameter, which quantifies the laser beam quality, and how to measure M2 for a real laser.

The second generation of the INTEGRA is a meterless line of all-in-one detectors that combine a detector and a meter in one device that lugs directly into your PC. Each detector of the INTEGRA series offers the same incredible performance as the usual detector and meter combination, from pW to kW and from fJ to J. For a brief introduction on this product, watch the video.

The BEAMAGE-4M is a beam profiling camera designed for accurate profile measurements of very small beams. The camera utilizes a USB 3.0 for the transfer rates up to 10X faster than regular USB 2.0 connections. Check out the video for a brief introduction.

The PRONTO-SI is a portable photodiode-based laser power meter designed for up to 800 mW that is so compact it fits in your pocket. Check out the video for a demonstration on this device.

The MAESTRO is a touchscreen display device for power and energy measurements within thermopiles, photo detectors, and pyroelectrics. The device features a large touch screen LCD display with 18bit color and 640 x 480 resolution.

The PRONTO-250 portable laser power meter is a mid to high power probe measuring laser power up to 250 W and is small enough to fit in your pocket. This easy-to-use power meter features a color LCD screen, a friendly user interface, and fully calibrated settings for every wavelength between 248 nm and 2.5 μm (YAG), and a real calibration at 10.6 μm (CO2).

The PRONTO-250 portable laser power meter is a mid to high power probe measuring laser power up to 250 W and is small enough to fit in your pocket. Check out the video for a demonstration!