FBH To Show Novel Lasers At Photonics West 2018

FBH to show high power pulse laser source suitable for LiDAR systems, 3D object detection, laser scanning and fluorescence spectroscopy

The Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (FBH) has announced that it will present a series of novel developments and advancements of its diode lasers and UV LEDs at Photonics West 2018, in San Francisco (USA) from 30 January - 1 February 2018.

Lasers generating short optical pulses with widths in the range from 200 ps to 20 ns are key components for a broad range of applications including LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) for autonomous driving, 3D object detection, laser scanning as well as fluorescence spectroscopy and micro-machining systems.

FBH has developed a very compact laser source that uses a tailored design for pulse generation from the institute's diode laser technology as well as a laser driver with GaN transistor in the final stage offering pulses up to 250 A with controllable pulse amplitude and width.

Integrated on these drivers is FBH's latest generation of wavelength-stabilised laser diodes that emit 5 ns pulses with 40 W (single emitter) or up to 100 W (3-emitter array) pulse power near 905 nm with good beam quality and up to 85degC. This concept can, of course, be transferred to further wavelengths.

FBH has also developed a compact laser module with emission at 633 nm. The semiconductor laser module, sized only 76x54x15 mm³, uses a novel butterfly-type housing and aims at replacing bulky HeNe lasers. It offers a flexible platform for the integration of a wide range of photonic components, thus simplifying adaptation for different application scenarios.

The particular module presented features an all-semiconductor master-oscillator power-amplifier (MOPA) combined with an iodine gas cell to stabilise output power as well as emission wave-length. The MOPA uses newly developed chips, achieving an optical output power of more than 30 mW. A miniaturised optical isolator, purpose-built for the wavelength of 633 nm, is interposed between MO and PA.

FBH has also developed customised wavelength-stabilised high-power diode lasers with laser emission in the spectral range between 630 nm and 1180 nm for spectro-scopic applications and as pump sources for non-linear frequency conversion.

Developments include monolithic dual-wavelength DBR diode lasers with optical output powers up to 200 mW providing two emission lines with a small spectral line-width for Shifted Excitation Raman Difference Spectroscopy (SERDS).

With SERDS, Raman signals can be extracted efficiently and rapidly from disturbing backgrounds such as fluorescence and ambient light, thus improving Raman spectroscopy in real-world applications. DBR tapered lasers and MOPA systems show diffraction limited output powers up to 10 W and are used for efficient second harmonic generation of the emission into the visible spectral range and up-conversion of mid-infrared radiation via sum frequency generation to the near-infrared range.