Where to Buy Picosecond Lasers

Due to their excellent stability and high output parameters, EKSPLA scientific picosecond lasers established their name as “gold standard” among scientific picosecond lasers. The innovative design of the new generation of picosecond mode-locked lasers features diode-pumping‑only technology, thus reducing maintenance costs and improving output parameters. Second, third, fourth and fifth (on some versions) harmonic options combined with various accessories, advanced electronics (for streak camera synchronization, phase-locked loop, synchronization of fs laser) and customization possibilities make these lasers well suited for many scientific applications, including optical parametric generator pumping, time-resolved spectroscopy, nonlinear spectroscopy, remote sensing, metrology and others.

The picosecond laser source picoEmerald emits ultra-short pulses with a duration of 2 picoseconds (other durations possible). The wavelength tuning of the ps laser is fully automated across a tuning range of 700 to 990 nm (signal) and 1080 to 1950 nm (idler). The fundamental beam at 1032 nm is also available. A wavelength scan / sweep function for fast spectra acquisition over certain specific wavelengths is included.

The key-facts of the picoEmerald are:

• wavelength 1 IR beam 1032 nm
• wavelength 2 tunable 700 … 990 nm
• wavelength 3 tunable 1080 … 1950 nm
• 80 MHz pulse repetition rate
• temporal and spatial overlap of the output wavelengths
• integrated time delay between the wavelengths
• common output port for all beams
• fully automated wavelength tuning
• EOM optionally integrated

Based on an all-fiber design, MPBC’s picosecond mode-locked fiber lasers are highly reliable (10,000 hrs) and maintenance-free. Customized specifications are available for emission wavelengths from 1020 to 1100 nm and pulse durations of 2 to 50 ps. Average output power varies from 2 to 3000 mW, depending on the configuration. These lasers are designed to address a range of market applications including semiconductor inspection, micro-machining, metrology, multi-photon spectroscopy, and can be used as a seed source for optical amplifiers, and second harmonic generation.

TOPTICA offers next generation ultrafast picosecond and femtosecond fiber lasers for science and industry. The key for successful integration of ultrafast technology are robust, cost-effective systems with simple push-button operation. TOPTICA offers several products fulfilling these requirements: ultrafast fiber lasers based on erbium (Er) and ytterbium (Yb).

NKT Photonics has developed a wide range of different picosecond fiber lasers for scientific and industrial applications. The Katana platform offers from 20 ps to nanosecond pulse durations, continuously tuneable repetition rate that can be triggered internally or externally allowing for laser operation in both master and slave mode. Katana is streamlined to offer high-power picosecond pulses in green, yellow, orange, red, and infrared.

AdValue Photonics offers the EVERESTpico 1 μm picosecond fiber laser (AP-1030P), Different models can deliver 50-ps pulses with 15 W, 30 W, 60 W or 100 W average power in a collimated free-space beam with excellent beam quality. Pulse repetition rates can go up to 1 MHz.

There is also the EVERESTpico green picosecond laser for applications like laser cutting, drilling and scribing on various materials. Different models can deliver 50-ps pulses with up to 30 W average power and excellent beam quality.

Teem Photonics offers a wide range of lasers with pulse durations as short as 100 ps. For example, the 266 nm PNU-M01210-1x0 laser, belongs to the Powerchip laser series, which also covers wavelengths of 1064 nm, 532 nm, 355 nm and 213 nm with pulse durations below 500 ps. Peak powers of tens of kilowatts (or even 160 kW at 1064 nm) are generated. Compared with mode-locked picosecond lasers, the pulse repetition rates are limited to about 100 kHz), while the pulse energies are far higher – tens of microjoules.

Iceblink is a supercontinuum fiber laser covering the 450–2300 nm spectral range with 3 W of average power and superior stability (<0.5% std. dev.). It is a very versatile white light source with a world of applications in the scientific and industrial sectors, including absorption/transmission measurements for material characterization, VIS, NIR and IR spectroscopy, single molecule spectroscopy and fluorescence excitation. The spatial coherence and broad spectrum of Iceblink makes it a great alternative to classic lamps, single-line lasers, LEDs and ASE sources.

AMPHOS offers ultrafast lasers. The flexible Amphos1000 1030-nm seed laser (a fiber laser) is the basis for amplified sources like the Amphos1500 with up to 5 mJ pulse energy (for picosecond pulse durations), the Amphos3000 series with up to 20 mJ, and the Amphos5000 series with 800 W or 1000 W average output power and up to 50 mJ. Common features are a high beam quality, narrow spectral bandwidth, burst mode features and flexibility concerning the pulse duration. Typical applications are OPCPA pumping, attosecond physics, high harmonic generation and laser material processing.

There are also frequency-converted versions emitting at 515 nm or 343 nm.

Radiantis Zenith is a broadly tunable picosecond laser system, tunable across 1450 – 4000 nm. This system incorporates a pump laser and an Optical Parametric Oscillator (OPO) which provides fully automated tuning and high power on a integrated and robust platform.

The ALPHALAS product line of PICOPOWER series ultrafast lasers implements advanced methods for generating picosecond pulses, including active, passive or combined mode-locking. ALPHALAS is the only manufacturer that uses the patented and most advanced “Nonlinear Mirror” or “Stankov Mirror” mode-locking method based on second harmonic generation with practically unlimited power scaling.

The product line includes cavity-dumped mode-locked lasers, regeneratively amplified picosecond pulses with unsurpassed low jitter < 3.5 ps for pulses “on demand” and MW peak power. Optional harmonic wavelengths are also available.

The PICOPOWER-LD series of the proprietary picosecond diode lasers covers the range 375 nm to 2300 nm with picosecond pulses as short as 12 ps and high peak power more than 2 W for specific wavelengths. Numerous applications cover optical parametric generator pumping, nonlinear optics, spectroscopy time-resolved spectroscopy, remote sensing and material processing.

RPMC Lasers offers one of the widest wavelength selections of <300 picosecond and >300 picosecond lasers available ranging from the UV through the SWIR regimes. Our offerings include pulsed DPSS lasers, fiber lasers, and microchip lasers with pulse energy as high as 5 mJ and pulse repetition rates up to 80 MHz.

CNI offer mode-locked picosecond lasers with superior beam quality and high reliability. The pulse duration can be less than 20 ps. Available wavelengths are 266 nm, 355 nm, 532 nm, 1064 nm, 1319 nm and others.

Bright Solutions has the NPS narrowband picosecond lasers:

• 1064, 532 or 355 nm
• 7-ps pulses at 40 MHz
• spectral width < 0.3 nm
• 10 mW average output power; custom Nps-1064-k2 with amplifier for 2 W output power

The NPS lasers are suitable for applications like OPO pumping, Raman or fluorescence spectroscopy and multimodal imaging.