Learn about laser classifications and the controls and protective equipment required to stay safe.
Thermopile sensors are based on thermocouples. A thermocouple consists of two dissimilar metals connected in series. To detect radiation, one metal junction is typically blackened to …
A pyroelectric crystalline material has electric polarization even in the absence of an applied voltage. On heating, the material expands and produces a change in the polarization which …
A photodiode sensor consists of a semiconductor p-n junction. Light falling on the junction causes the formation of electron-hole pairs. In photovoltaic mode, the electron-hole pairs …
Precise control of polarization behavior is necessary to obtain optimal performance from optical components and systems. Characteristics such as reflectivity, insertion loss, and beamsplitter …
Light is generated from a laser as a result of the following process: electrons in a material move from an excited energy level to a lower-lying energy level and produce photons that …
Simple beam expanders are essentially telescopes which, in their most basic forms, consist of two lenses. The input beam is assumed to be collimated. The first lens must have a diameter …
The irradiance distribution of a laser beam is determined by the transverse modes that exit the laser cavity. Typically, the lowest-order transverse mode (TEM00) is selected for emission …
激光器通常以其增益介质来识别，以产生受激辐射的辐射物质进行分类。这些辐射物质包括稀薄气体中的原 子和分子，以相对较低的浓度溶解在液体溶液中的有机分子，半导体材料，以及晶状固体或者掺杂高浓度离子的 玻璃类的介电材料。这些激光器通常被称为气体、液体、半导体和固体激光器。正如第I.A.1 节所述，辐射物质的 浓度对介质能级的形成有重要作用。转之，这些能级会决定光学泵浦跃迁、粒子数反转结构、激光辐射波长以及 …
It is often desirable to operate lasers in a pulsed mode since this can significantly increase the peak output power.
Laser diodes possess several unique attributes compared to other types of lasers. They are very small compared to other classes of lasers, can operate very efficiently with relatively …
Electron-hole recombination processes give rise to spontaneous emission in an LED and stimulated emission in a laser diode.
Given the different types of laser beam spatial distributions and their evolution as they propagate in free space and through optical elements, measurement of the beam profile is critical …
Accurate temporal characterization of pulsed sources is as critical as accurately estimating the pulse energy and spatial and spectral profiles.
Optical coatings typically consist of thin films made up of single or multiple layers of either metallic or dielectric materials. When properly designed and fabricated, these coatings …
In addition to being deposited on the surface of an optical component, optical coatings can also be incorporated into a single element through deposition on one or many substrates followed …
This technical note discusses the fundamental physics of optical fibers, their practical implementation, and the various types of optical fibers.
This technical note describes the fundamentals of vibration and how these concepts relate to measurable parameters such as compliance and maximum relative motion.
The term optical table system typically refers to a vibration-isolation system, that is, the tabletop plus the support system.
High temperature burn-in screening is used in laser diode manufacturing to screen out devices that are likely to have unacceptably short lives and to ensure that the remaining population …
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