Where to Buy Mid-infrared Laser Sources

The spectral region between optics and electronics lying in the mid-infrared is difficult to access. Nevertheless it is of great spectroscopic interest because it hosts the majority of molecular finger prints: important vibrational modes with energies in the spectral range of 670 cm⁻¹ to 3400 cm⁻¹ can be accessed by exciting the sample at wavelengths of 3 μm to 15 μm.

TOPTICA’s ultrafast fiber laser FemtoFiber dichro midIR generates powerful radiation tunable between 3 μm – 15 μm that is ideally suited for spectroscopy and (nearfield) microscopy applications. Based on difference frequency generation (DFG) of two optically synchronized laser pulses at tunable wavelengths of 1 – 2 μm a highly stable broadband emission of approximately 400 cm⁻¹ is generated.

TOPTICA’s continuous wave TOPO generates precise radiation tunable between 1.45 – 4+ µm with very narrow spectral width and extremely fine tuning, rendering it the ideal tool for spectroscopy of gas-phase molecules. The TOPO is a continuous wave optical parametric oscillator (OPO). As in DFG, a pump source and signal photons are mixed in a nonlinear crystal to perform downconversion, but in the TOPO the signal is self-generated by the efficient OPO process.

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This extension complements the compact 50fs-thulium-doped ultrafast fiber laser system and provides a high-power frequency comb in the mid-IR. The ultrafast mid-IR pulses are achieved through intra-pulse difference-frequency generation, which guarantees passive carrier-envelope-offset stability. The complete frequency-comb nature of the source can be achieved by controlling and stabilizing the fundamental pulse-repetition frequency of the driving laser.

Our mid-IR tunable broadband light source is fully automated and designed to be highly customizable to deliver turn-key solutions meeting your specific needs. It is based on a 1 µm pump laser operating at 76 MHz, which drives an optical parametric oscillator (OPO, Levante IR fs).

The OPO generates Signal and Idler in the range of 1.32 µm to 4.8 µm. Both beams can be mixed in a Difference Frequency Generator (DFG, HarmoniXX DFG), providing access to wavelengths up to 15 µm. Moreover, such a light source can be extended with additional APE devices, such as wavelength converters, pulse pickers or pulse slicers, to further enhance its capabilities in terms of wavelength range, repetition rate adjustment or spectral bandwidth narrowing.

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Frankfurt Laser Company offers infrared laser diodes with emission wavelengths from 730 nm to 12 μm.

Radiantis offers multiple mid-IR laser systems, including

• Titan – a continuous wave (CW) OPO laser system tunable from 1450 – 4000 nm,
• Zenith – a picosecond OPO laser system tunable across 1450 – 4000 nm, and
• MIRage – a femtosecond OPO laser system tunable across 6000 – 7000 nm.

Ti:sapphire-pumped stand-alone OPOs are also available. We develop on-demand customized broadly tunable lasers for specific spectral ranges and pulse durations.

Alpes Lasers designs and manufactures a wide range of different laser types with wavelengths from 4 to 14 μm and powers up to hundreds of milliwatts. This includes FP, DFB, THz, frequency comb and external cavity lasers in the mid-IR. Additionally, Alpes offers uniquely fast and widely tuneable lasers with our ET and XT product line.

The ORPHEUS-MIR is an optical parametric amplifier (OPA) optimized for the efficient generation of broad-bandwidth mid-IR pulses. The system provides broadband pulses in the tuning range of 2.5 – 10 μm and reaches up to 15 μm with an optional narrow-bandwidth extension. Due to the novel system design, ORPHEUS-MIR provides < 100 fs pulses directly at the output. Signal and idler outputs are available simultaneously. The system architecture is well suited for pumping with the high-energy and high-power PHAROS and CARBIDE lasers.

CNI offers lasers with many wavelengths, some being in the mid-infrared. For example, there are a CW DPSS at 3800 nm and tunable lasers at 3590–4940 nm.

Menlo Systems mid-infrared lasers based on Menlo figure 9® patented laser technology are targeting the wavelength range from 1 μm to beyond 10 μm. Systems are available from single femtosecond lasers to full mid-infrared optical frequency comb systems. Applications range from sensing to high precision laser spectroscopy.

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Based on our fluoride active fibers, we develop fiber modules that are easy to handle and directly integrable in a final commercial laser system.

Together with COPL Laval University, we develop mid-infrared fiber lasers which are commercialized by our sister company LumIR Lasers. These fibers lasers are, for example, used in medical applications.

The LEUKOS ELECTRO MIR is a new generation supercontinuum laser source optimized for the mid-IR up to ≈10 μm wavelength. It is based on LEUKOS' over 15 years experience in supercontinuum sources.

See our data sheet.

DRS Daylight Solutions offers a wide range of quantum cascade lasers:

• with CW or pulsed output
• high beam quality
• fixed-wavelength and tunable versions with very fast tuning

Applications are in areas like mid-IR spectroscopy and infrared countermeasures.

The Stuttgart Instruments Alpha system is a modular, wavelength-tunable laser covering the 700 nm to 20 µm spectral range. It provides ultrafast pulses at MHz repetition rates and milliwatt- to watt-level power. Due to its excellent passive long-term stability, outstanding performance at the shot-noise limit and broad spectral range, it is ideally suited for sensitive IR applications.

The Alpha system can be configured optimum for your application. Its basic version is tunable from 1.35 µm to 4.5 µm, but can be upgraded to higher power, to the VIS (700 – 980 nm), the NIR (1.1 – 1.4 µm) and the MIR range (4.5 – 20 µm). Each module is field upgradable, and the entire system is fully automated and controlled via a user-friendly GUI.

Eblana’s Discrete-Mode platform is both wavelength and material agnostic, and can be used to manufacture high quality and high performance laser diodes in the mid-IR for a variety of applications, including trace gas sensing and environmental monitoring utilizing fundamental absorption bands for highly sensitive detection performance. Eblana’s EP2327-0-DM Series laser diodes, targeting CO sensing at 2.3 μm, are now available to OEM customers looking to incorporate advanced laser designs into their detection systems.

Thorlabs manufactures a number of mid-infrared lasers, including the SC4500 mid-IR supercontinuum source, Y-Fi OPA, and turnkey MIR QCL. These systems are offered alongside a portfolio of bare mid-IR fluoride fibers and patch cables. Complimenting our ultrafast laser systems is a suite of chirped mirrors, low GDD optics, and related products for pulse measurement, pre-compensation, and dispersion measurement.

See us at CLEO 2023 in San Jose, May 7–12 (booth 327)!

Sacher Lasertechnik offers quantum cascade lasers with emission between 4 μm and 12 μm, suitable for applications like molecular spectroscopy.

See us at CLEO 2023 in San Jose, May 7–12 (booth 320)!