Determining Q-switch operating frequency

[Laserman532]

sure, micro machining if you are bored. I personally would slap that bitch on ebay and buy something fun with the money from the sale.

[macona]

Marking and cutting thin metallic materials. I have been building a CO2 laser cutter for quite a while, one of those work on it as I feel like it things. Building out of a lab robot that FEI was experimenting with for loading wafers in their electron microscopes. A build log here: http://www.buildlog.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=264 I have done more work on it since. I am messing with optics now trying to get mirrors where I want them.

The thing is if I sell it who know when or if I will run across another. And since I am not really putting out money for these I can justify keeping them around. They are not like a gas laser that can go bad just sitting.

[planters]

Ya, don't sell it ( unless you want to sell it to me). The beam quality sounds really good for the 532. Is it as good for the 355? The 355 should be a lot better re metallic absorption.

Regarding marking/cutting, do you fiber feed? Do you move the head itself or do you move mirrors similar to the X/Y scanners used for entertainment? Have you worked with Z axis focus control?

Alternatively, do you move the sample on an X/Y table

[macona]

Looks like the 355 is just as good. It does look like it starts out a little larger than the 532. I have not done any tests of any great length for the 355 but at 10' it is still pretty small. The 532 was intended to be frequency doubled to 266nm and both were for trimming and wafer marking. They both seems to have real good absorption properties. The 532 is supposed to real good at marking gold.

I did magage to increase the output of the 355. I noticed at startup the output was higher than after the diode temp stabilized. After 30000 hours the frequency of the diodes had shifted. I reset the temp set point of the diode and am now getting about 4.24 watts out of it.

On the co2 I am just going to do flying optics. I have seen ZnSe fiber, no thanks. Possibilities are launching the 532 or 355 into a fiber and delivering it to an auxiliary lens on the gantry. The issue with this is making the machine light tight. CO2 is nice. Just about anything we sw as transparent is opaque to 10.6u. 532 and 355 seem to pass through most things. 355 is still cose enough to visible where glass does not absorb a lot.

My friend who I got these from has some Cambridge galvos and even a theta lens. Those the controller are proprietary.

[mixedgas]

I'm looking for one, because my boss wants me to make him a few milliwatts of 266 to 279 for spectroscopy. If I own the laser, that is job security.

Steve

[macona]

There may be a rail available for 266nm. It has all the optics and fhg crystal for 266 with a collimator on the output. It's totally out of alignment as it sits so that will have to be adjusted. I am going to check out the laser a but more as all I have done is a quick power on test.

Though this will probably put out more like a couple watts, a few orders higher than you wanted.

[krazer]

Glad to see that the head is running, its always fun playing around with 'modern' laser technology! 4.2w of 355nm is quite impressive, what is the input power?

Steve - I have a 2mw 193nm laser (fourth harmonic generation), its all solid state but it takes up a whole optical table. I will give you a hint, 10w of 532nm goes in but 193nm is not an integer harmonic of that

[macona]

It may be higher output than what the front panel is saying. I took four different power heads and they are all telling me it is putting out at least 6 watts 10khz. So maybe the photodiode has aged after all this time as well. From what I have been told by a company that works on these lasers the Nd crystal is pumped by three coherent 40w bars. They are $4000 each to replace. The problem is they need to be matched and coherent is the only ones that will do that. One plus for Spectra Physics design with the remote pump diodes.

[mixedgas]

Glad to see that the head is running, its always fun playing around with 'modern' laser technology! 4.2w of 355nm is quite impressive, what is the input power?

Steve - I have a 2mw 193nm laser (fourth harmonic generation), its all solid state but it takes up a whole optical table. I will give you a hint, 10w of 532nm goes in but 193nm is not an integer harmonic of that

Bad enough I have a Verdi, Mira, Spitfire and " SPECIAL MAGIC" just on ONE table.
I dont even want to think about 193.

At least your not thwacking flying liquid Xenon drops like some folks are.

Steve

[mixedgas]

Macona, if there is a 266 rail available I'm (meaning me or MY BOSS) is VERY interested.
Drop me a PM.

Steve