Diode Pumped Solid State (DPSS) Lasers

Diode-pumped solid-state lasers (DPSS) lasers are compact highly efficient devices that use a laser diode to pump a solid crystalline medium such as a ruby or or a neodymium-doped YAG crystal. The output wavelength depends on the materials chosen and the temperature tuning of the laser diode(s), and can be modified using a second crystal to filter the output. Higher power DPSS lasers use a single crystal, but employ multiple laser diodes arranged in strips or stacks with the output imaged onto the crystal using a lens and/or optical fibres. DPSS lasers are available with a variety of different output wavelengths, ranging from violet to near infra-red. High power DPSS lasers are preferred to ion lasers and flashlamp-pumped lasers in many scientific applications, and are also widely used in laser pointing devices. Compact, self-contained, low noise DPSS lasers from B&WTek are particularly well suited to OEM integration, although end user versions are also provided. These lasers are thermo-electric (TE) cooled DPSS lasers which operate over a wide temperature range. Key strengths are highly stable, quiet laser output and excellent beam mode quality.