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Buyer's Guide > Users > Product categories > saturable absorbers

Buying Saturable Absorbers

Top-level product category: icon various devices

More general product categories: Q switches, mode locking devices

More specific product categories: semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors

Saturable absorbers are crucial components in the passive Q switching and mode locking of lasers. For Q switching, doped crystals like Cr4+:YAG or V3+:YAG are commonly used. In mode locking, semiconductor absorbers (SESAMs) are preferred due to their precise control over laser dynamics. These absorbers are essential in producing ultrafast laser pulses and maintaining stable laser operation.

Making Good Purchase Decisions

As the most professional photonics purchasing portal, RP Photonics helps you to not only to find all relevant suppliers (not limited to our advertisers), but also to make good purchasing decisions.

NEW: Structured Decision Process

Purchasing involves a lot of responsibility. We recommend that you apply best practice by using the following structured process: Go through the following expandable sections, complete the form and finally come to a purchase decision. You can then print that to a PDF for documenting the process.

Our article on best practices for purchasing and another one explaining this tool give you valuable insights.

1. Understand the technical background

It is important to sufficiently understand the technology before buying.

Use the comprehensive learning resources of RP Photonics:

encyclopedia article saturable absorbers semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors passive mode locking Q switching

If you need personal help, contact RP Photonics to get technical consultancy.

2. Define your requirements

It is essential to fully understand and clearly define your requirements before you buy.

We recommend that you develop a list of clear specifications according to your specific needs, against which you can later check the suitability of found product offers:

To help you, we have already listed some aspects we recommend you consider when buying saturable absorbers. Of course, there may be other aspects that are relevant to your specific case.

This list is for your own preparation, and can later (possibly in modified form) be used for quotation requests to suppliers.

Otherwise, you will need to talk to your technical colleagues.

If you cannot sufficiently clarify your requirements, you may want to get technical consultancy from RP Photonics.

You find these buttons in the supplier list below or under "3. Find suitable suppliers".

3. Find suitable suppliers

We suggest three steps:

  • Below, you can find our list of suppliers for saturable absorbers. Use the checkboxes to mark possibly suitable suppliers.
  • The selected suppliers will appear below this list, along with your list of specifications. You can then indicate which specifications they meet according to your research. (You should finalize your specifications before doing this.)
  • Based on the results, you can finally choose a supplier that is hopefully a good enough fit.

Selected suppliers:

(none so far)

Decision

The most suitable supplier you found:

Comments, e.g. reasons for your choice, or things which still need to be checked:

Suppliers for Saturable Absorbers

23 suppliers for saturable absorbers are listed in the RP Photonics Buyer's Guide, out of which 5 present their product descriptions. Both manufacturers and distributors can be registered.

Suppliers with Advertising Package

presenting their product descriptions

Lasers, Optics, Electronics. Made in Germany.

ALPHALAS GmbH
Bertha-von-Suttner-Str. 5
37085 Göttingen
Germany
Profile page  Website  
saturable absorbers

ALPHALAS offers Cr4+:YAG, V3+:YAG and Co-spinel (Co2+:MgAl2O4) saturable absorber crystals for passive Q-switching of lasers with wavelengths in the range of 900 … 1100 nm and 1200 … 1600 nm. Different apertures and thicknesses as well as AR-coatings are available from stock and upon request. A special product group is our Brewster-cut Cr4+:YAG crystals for very high peak power applications and serving as a polarizer inside the laser cavity.

Product-specific web page
RefleKron Ltd.
Kauhakorvenkatu 53B
33710 Tampere
Finland
Profile page  Website  
saturable absorbers

Our saturable absorbers are semiconductor-based mirrors (SESAM, SEmiconductor Saturable Absorber Mirror). In contrast to bulk absorbers, SESAMs offer low saturation fluences and fast relaxation dynamics. Reflekron offers customized SESAMs for laser systems along a wide wavelength range of 620 nm to 3.5 µm, for both mode-locked and Q-switched lasers.

Contact us for the optimal customized SESAM for your application.

Product-specific web page
Optogama
(4Lasers)
Mokslininku str. 6B
08412 Vilnius
Lithuania
Profile page  Website  
saturable absorbers

Optogama offers Co:MgAl2O4, Cr:YAG and V:YAG passive Q-switch crystals.

Co:MgAl2O4 (Co:spinel) is a very efficient passive Q-switch for lasers emitting in the range of 1.2 µm–1.6 µm due to good mechanical and optical properties.

Co:dpinel has a high absorption cross-section, which permits Q-switch operation of Er:glass laser (both flash-lamp and diode-laser pumped) without an intracavity focusing. Negligible excited-state absorption results in a high contrast Q-switch operation. Cr4+:YAG crystals are ideal for passive Q-switch operation of Nd:YAG and other Nd- or Yb-lasers emitting in the wavelength range from 900 nm to 1200 nm. A remarkable feature of Cr4+:YAG is the high damage threshold of >10 J/cm2 at 1064 nm, 10 ns.

Product-specific web page

Your reliable partner for photonics innovations!

EKSMA Optics, UAB
Dvarcioniu St. 2B
LT-10233 Vilnius
Lithuania
Profile page  Website  
saturable absorbers

The excellent optical, mechanical and thermal properties of Co2+:MgAl2O4 (Co:spinel) and Cr4+:YAG passive Q-switching crystals give an opportunity to design compact and reliable solid state laser sources.

Product-specific web page
Hangzhou Shalom Electro-optics Technology Co., Ltd.
A635, Boke Mansion
No. 9 Xiyuan Road
Xihu District, Hangzhou 310030
China
Profile page  Website  
saturable absorbers

Hangzhou Shalom EO offers a series of passive Q-switch crystals including Cr4+:YAG crystals, Co2+:MgAl2O4 (Co2+:spinel) crystals and V3+:YAG crystals. Cr4+:YAG is popular and supports well the operations of 1-μm Nd:YAG lasers, while Co:MgAl2O4 (or Co:spinel) crystals are suitable preferred for erbium lasers at 1.54-μm V3+:YAG crystals are an attractive candidate for 1.3-μm lasers.

Product-specific web page

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Other Suppliers

AOG Crystal Technology Co, Ltd.
China
Profile page  Website  
AZURE Photonics Co., Ltd.
China
Profile page  Website  
BATOP GmbH
Germany
Profile page  Website  Get quotation
Beijing JIEPU TREND Technology
China
Profile page  Website  Get quotation
CASIX Inc.
China
Profile page  Website  
Crystrong Photonics Technology Co., Ltd​
China
Profile page  Website  
Crytur, spol. s r.o.
Czech Republic
Profile page  Website  
HG Optronics
China
Profile page  Website  Get quotation
Komlas Optische Komponenten und Lasersysteme GmbH
Germany
Profile page  Website  
Laserand, Inc.
Canada
Profile page  Website  Get quotation
Metalaser
China
Profile page  Website  Get quotation
Moltech GmbH
Germany
Profile page  Website  Get quotation
Sichuan MetalMiracle Industry Corp.
China
Profile page  Website  
Newlight Photonics Inc.
Canada
Profile page  Website  Get quotation
Rayser Optronics, Inc.
China
Profile page  Website  
Scientific Materials Corp.
United States
Profile page  Website  
Hangzhou Yong Hee Photonics Co., Ltd.
China
Profile page  Website  Get quotation
Yutai Optics
China
Profile page  Website  Get quotation

If any displayed information is incorrect (e.g., a listed supplier does not offer such products) or legally problematic, please notify RP Photonics so that the problem can be solved.


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