Here’s why you should choose a fiber laser
Are you considering replacing your Titanium-Sapphire laser? We’ve got options for you. May we suggest a high-power, narrow linewidth CW laser? Or maybe a flexible tunable visible/NIR laser?
Read on to get the pros and cons of fiber lasers.
I need a high-power, narrow linewidth CW laser
If you know your wavelength, you can successfully replace Ti:Sapphire lasers with CW DFB (distributed feedback fiber) laser-based systems to get high power and a narrow linewidth.
Continuous wave-laser for quantum experiments
For most quantum optics experiments, the target wavelength is known with high precision as they are predetermined by the atomic species you are investigating. It could be 780 nm for rubidium cooling or 813 nm for strontium trapping.
DFB fiber lasers inherently have higher power, narrower linewidth, lower noise, and higher reliability than a solid-state laser like a Ti:Sapphire laser.
The trade-off is tunability. The tunability of a DFB fiber laser is less than 1 nm. The cavity in the DFB fiber laser is resistant to changes, and changes are needed for it to be tunable. This resilience to external perturbations is precisely how DFB fiber lasers achieve mode-hop-free operation with Hz-range linewidth.
Frequency conversion from infrared to visible
Fiber lasers emit light in the infrared wavelength range. To get visible wavelengths you need frequency conversion from the Koheras HARMONIK frequency conversion platform.
With frequency conversion, you get all the attractive properties of fiber lasers as well as the relevant visible wavelengths. Furthermore, frequency conversion acts as a nonlinear bandpass filter that efficiently cleans up low-power components in the signal, such as ASE which is present in all lasers regardless of platform.
You can then simply go ahead and lock the laser at the infrared seed laser wavelength or at the target visible wavelength.
Low maintenance and ultra-stable
The Koheras lasers are all-fiber DFB lasers. They have a compact and robust design that enables inherent single-frequency laser operation – even under changing environmental conditions. They are extremely stable, mode-hop free, have low-noise performance, and have high manufacturing scalability.
With a Koheras laser, you get a stable alternative to Ti:Sapphire lasers with high power and low noise.
I need a tunable laser
If you are looking for a tunable laser in the visible/NIR range, the SuperK CHROMATUNE gives you an unmatched 400-1000 nm tuning range.
Flexible and tunable
You can easily change the wavelength from 400 to 1000 nm. Just pick your wavelength and press the button to get instant light.
We designed the SuperK CHROMATUNE to be extremely easy to use. If you want more control, you can change the linewidth, increase the power in different wavelength ranges, automate wavelength sweeps, and other functionalities. As standard, the laser runs at quasi-CW MHz rep rates, but you may want to change that if you are studying lifetime phenomena.
The downside is that the spectral power density is lower than what you get from a Ti-Sapphire laser, which typically operates at higher peak powers.
Easy to use
Operating the SuperK CHROMATUNE is easy. You do not need any laser knowledge to set it up in just a few minutes.
Install the SuperK CONTROL graphical user interface on your PC to get intuitive control of all functions in the laser. If you are an advanced laser user, you can use the full scripting functionality to customize the laser output to your application.
Excellent reliability
The system is based on our world-renowned industrial-grade supercontinuum lasers and comes with a convenient single-mode fiber delivery. It requires no maintenance or service, no alignment, or adjustments.
Our fiber lasers are fully fiber monolithic which ensures excellent reliability and a lifetime of thousands of hours. With the SuperK CHROMATUNE, you get a cost-effective and user-friendly alternative to Ti:Sapphire solutions.
What are the differences between diode, crystal, and fiber lasers?
Diode, crystal, and fiber lasers are all types of solid-state lasers with very distinct characteristics.
Diode lasers get directly pumped with an electric current, resulting in highly efficient wall-plug performance. However, due to the small active area, their power density becomes very high when aiming for high beam quality, which ultimately restricts their single-mode operation to the mW to the few W range.
Ti:Sapphire lasers and other crystal lasers are constructed by placing an active material crystal in the beam of an optical cavity, allowing for high beam quality. These lasers are often pumped by lower beam quality solid-state lasers, igniting a much larger volume in the active crystal and achieving better power scaling for single-mode operation compared to diode lasers.
Fiber lasers resemble crystal lasers in being pumped by another laser, but their cavity definition differs significantly.
In a fiber laser, the cavity is directly imprinted into the active fiber, making misalignment impossible. The active material in a fiber laser and amplifier extends along the entire length of the fiber, significantly reducing the thermal load from the gain process.
This limitation on thermal load enhances the power scalability of both diode and crystal lasers, enabling fiber lasers to operate more quietly and at higher power than any other laser platform.