Jul 21 2007
Coherent, Inc has extended the power range of its Sapphire all-solid-state, 488 nm lasers with the introduction of new products in both its low-power (LP) and high-power (HP) platforms.
The Sapphire 488 HP now includes a 500 mW option in the same standard package configuration that formerly offered 100 mW or 200 mW of output. This powerful air-cooled laser head measures only 215 x 140 x 51 mm (8.4 x 5.5 x 2.0 in.), and produces a very high quality output in terms of mode quality (M2 <1.1), divergence (<1.2 mrad), pointing stability (<±30 µrad over 2 hours and ± 3°C) and noise (<0.5% rms from 20 Hz to 2 MHz).
The new 500 mW Sapphire 488 HP is primarily targeted at biomedical applications, such as flow cytometry and fluorescence imaging. In these applications, the high power translates into increased process throughput and improved signal-to-noise ratio. Furthermore, compared to argon ion lasers of this power range, the Sapphire 488 HP offers longer lifetime, smaller size, lower power consumption and the convenience of air-cooling.
The second new laser is a 75 mW Sapphire 488 LP. This laser is offered in the same highly compact, 125 x 70 x 34 mm (4.9 x 2.8 x 1.3 in.) form factor as Sapphire lasers in the 10 mW to 50 mW range. Sapphire 488 LP also has same very high quality beam characteristics as the Sapphire 488 HP.
For biomedical as well as semiconductor inspection and instrumentation applications, the unique combination of 75 mW output power, compact package size, low heat dissipation, long lifetime and high stability make the Sapphire 488 LP an extremely attractive alternative to air-cooled argon lasers. Furthermore, the common package size and electrical interface requirements with the lower power models simplify upward migration for systems integrators.