AMS Technologies with Concept for Rapidly Tunable Laser at Photonics West 2019

Elforlight Ltd. (an AMS Technologies company) is exhibiting a new concept at Photonics West 2019 trade fair in San Francisco (February 2 to 7, 2019) that allows laser pulses to be emitted with four different wavelengths in the visible range. The concept allows switching from pulse to pulse between these four wavelengths with a high pulse repetition rate of 1 kHz.

The technical basis of the concept is a process that uses the Raman effect to additionally generate the wavelengths 555 nm, 579 nm and 606 nm from the light of a 532 nm laser. An optical filter then separates the four wavelengths and periodically routes each wavelength at a switching frequency in the kilohertz range to the optical output of the unit.

Due to the high switching frequency, systems realized on this basis have the potential to significantly exceed previous tunable lasers based on OPOs (Optical Parametric Oscillators) – typical frequencies of such OPO systems range from 100 Hz to 200 Hz –at considerably lower costs. Further possibilities result from a modified arrangement of the laser material, as the wavelengths 559 nm, 588 nm and 621 nm can thus be generated alternatively.

The ability to quickly switch between different wavelengths can offer clear advantages in the field of photoacoustic imaging for biomedical applications, among others: During a scan of biological tissue, the absorption of four different wavelengths instead of a single wavelength could now be measured quasi-simultaneously at each individual pixel at a comparable frame rate. This avoids artifacts that can occur during multiple sequential complete scans with one wavelength each.

Laser experts from Elforlight (an AMS technology company) will be available at Photonics West 2019 booth 856 and at BIOS 2019 booth 8856 to discuss potential applications.

For further information please send us an e-mail to: info(at)amstechnologies.com

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