Ophir Photonics Group, the global leader in precision laser measurement equipment and a Newport Corporation brand, today announced the newest version of the Photon M2-1780, the industry's only laser beam profiling system that measures beam quality in real-time.
The M2-1780 automatically measures the M2 beam propagation ratio and all associated ISO 11146 parameters instantaneously, at video rates over 20Hz.
The M2-1780 is a CCD camera-based system that works with CW and pulsed lasers down to single shot rates. The CCD is sensitive to wavelengths from approximately 250nm to 1100nm. This compact systems automatically measures with NIST-traceable accuracy to better than 2%; this translates to M2 measurements with accuracy to -5%.
"The Photon M2-1780 is a unique beam profiling device," stated Gary Wagner, General Manager, Ophir Photonics (U.S.). "The instrument allows instantaneous measurement of the entire beam caustic at the frame rate of the camera. This means that even an unstable beam, or one in the midst of being adjusted, can be measured with direct and immediate feedback. The end result is superior laser performance, from improving accuracy in medical aesthetics to reducing production bottlenecks."
The M2-1780 uses ten reflective surfaces -- provided by precisely aligned quartz wedges -- to divide the laser beam caustic into ten slices. It then simultaneously focuses them on the CCD detector. This allows the M2 and other propagation parameters to be determined instantly in real-time. The CCD sensor is divided into ten sectors and the beam is aligned such that each beam measurement position is in one of these boxes. Once aligned, integrated software reports the parameters for each frame the CCD acquires.
This makes it possible to make real-time adjustments to the laser and watch the results as direct feedback.
The M2-1780 works in conjunction with Photon's FireWire BeamPro Acquisition and Analysis software. A Microsoft® Windows based system, BeamPro measures beam spatial characteristics in accordance with ISA 13694 and M2 parameters in accordance with ISO 11146. The software operates in two modes: M2 Beam Propagation mode includes a live video window for displaying the 10 beam spots, and Standard mode includes all the beam analysis features that allow for closer inspection of a single beam.