Laser diode with 650W output

Laser Components has released a pulsed laser diode (PLD) emitting at 905nm with peak power levels of up to 650W from a small TO-18 housing. These PLDs are based on multi-junction laser technology, whereby the diode contains several epitaxially integrated emitters with a total emitting area of 200 x 10μm. With a pulse length of 150ns, it is possible to achieve a peak performance of at least 70W from a single chip. The metal housing allows a higher thermal load, which permits overdriving the diode and means an output of up to 650W from a stacked array design can be produced. Due to the combination of a small emitter area and an extremely high peak performance, the new 3J08 series is suitable for fibre coupling. These pulsed laser diodes are used in low-level laser therapy, among other things. This is an alternative medical treatment that is carried out using monochromatic and coherent light. Further areas of application include range finding, speed guns, laser radar, security scanners, laser light curtains, and test and measurement systems. The company has also released a silicon APD solution for short-range laser rangefinders. A number of key features have been brought together to offer a real solution to address applications where regular silicon photodiodes do not quite provide enough gain, and regular silicon APDs with high-spec band-pass filter and all of the associated temperature-gain compensation circuitry is not financially viable. The SARF-series has been optimised to have a gradual multiplication curve at low gain, for M=10; the relatively low-gain operation of the APD is for where high background light is present. This makes it possible to operate without the need to compensate for temperature. An integrated band-pass filter is included in place of the window of the TO-can, on a surface-mound package or directly onto the APD chip itself. The dielectric filter coating is very cost-effective in volume; saving on the cost of mounting and purchasing a separate filter while saving space too. The SARF-series is based on a reach-through structure for excellent quantum efficiency and high-speed, and has been optimised for 905nm range finding with a wide operating temperature range. Applications include range finding, lidar, laser scanners, and speed guns.