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Need help identifying near infrared lab laser

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pauleddy

Wed Jul 14 2010, 03:11AM

Registered Member #2909 Joined: Wed Jun 09 2010, 12:31AM
Location: fort belvoir, Va USA ( south of DC)
Posts: 145

I have recently stumbled across this near infrared laser module when i check out a â€œdump siteâ€ it looks vary interesting but allot of the identification have been scraped off.
Only thing I can get off from is that itâ€™s from Los Gatos research, itâ€™s a diode laser, 50mw, 1352nm, it has an RF input, it has an analog input, and itâ€™s a class IIIb laser.
Hears a bunch of pics I toke of it inside and out.

Any information on specs, datasheets, pin layout, show how to get it to work if it works or anything else will help

Thanks

...

Mon Jul 19 2010, 03:49PM

Registered Member #56 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:02AM
Location: Southern Califorina, USA
Posts: 2445

That is an 'Extended Cavity Diode Laser' or ECDL, it probably cost ~$5000 or so when it was purchased originally--nice find!

It is a fairly complicated laser, it uses a laser diode that instead of having a partially reflecting mirror for an output coupler (as would a normal laser diode) it has an anti-reflection coating, and uses the reflection from a grating for feedback. This results in a very low 'linewidth', or which is important for a variety of scientific experiments (note- this has nothing to do with the beam diameter/divergence, it refers to the range of wavelengths present in the output beam, for a laser like this one the output should be only 0.000001nm 'wide'). The use of a grating also makes it possible to tune the output wavelength, simply change the angle of the grating! Yours appears to have a piezo to adjust the angle (I cannot see it in any of the pictures, but they are usually a green block, I suspect it is at the end of the small red/white wires) which will let you tune the wavelength over a ~0.5nm range.

The RF connector allows you to inject a high frequency component into the laser diode current, which modulates the output power (and in some designs wavelenth as well) at very high frequencies. For most purposes you will want to short that connector out to protect the diode from ESD.

You might find this

useful, I do not think it is for your exact laser but it should at least point you in the right direction. The moden equivilent is the New Focus TLB-6300 series

pauleddy

Mon Jul 19 2010, 04:49PM

Registered Member #2909 Joined: Wed Jun 09 2010, 12:31AM
Location: fort belvoir, Va USA ( south of DC)
Posts: 145

yes it does have a little green block, and it has a small gold screw on cap to short it thank you vary much
I do not have any experience in these but, do you have any ideas what I can do with this?
and do you know what is the small board between the main heat sink and the case with has a copper plate, two of the big wires red and black go to it, from tec

Myke

Mon Jul 19 2010, 07:57PM

Registered Member #540 Joined: Mon Feb 19 2007, 07:49PM
Location: MIT
Posts: 969

Very nice find.

(I wish I could find stuff like that)
I'm not sure what you would use such a narrow wavelength for besides very precise measuring devices like something to find positions of things VERY accurately. You could use it as a very expensive laser pointer.

pauleddy

Mon Jul 19 2010, 08:33PM

Registered Member #2909 Joined: Wed Jun 09 2010, 12:31AM
Location: fort belvoir, Va USA ( south of DC)
Posts: 145

ya, mabey if i had the right equipment i can do some laser spectroscopy ( mabe i find some

)
but i whould like to get it to turn on first, not to mention get some safety equipment too.

...

Mon Jul 19 2010, 09:22PM

Registered Member #56 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:02AM
Location: Southern Califorina, USA
Posts: 2445

I am having a hard time finding what you are refering to, the PCB that the TEC is connected to has some protection circuitry for the laser diode, etc. If that is not what you were aksing about, can you provide a picture of it, or point it out in one of the ones you have posted?

Per uses for it, it is not of particular use outside of the scientific community being low powered and invisible, like Mike said it would be useful in something like an interferometer due to its low linewidth (and corresponding high coherence length). If you want to try making holograms at 1350nm it would work great

pauleddy

Mon Jul 19 2010, 10:23PM

Registered Member #2909 Joined: Wed Jun 09 2010, 12:31AM
Location: fort belvoir, Va USA ( south of DC)
Posts: 145

well i used my little brothers ds to take the photos so a may have try to pry it away from him again. you can see alittle of the cupper plate in the 12th pic, i was thinking it might of been a Peltier chip to keep the diode cool but it might be to old for that. that idea about the holograms sound like fun how whould you do that? but first i need to find how to turn it on.

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