Photonic Products laser blog

Theremins are neat; it’s a fact. The instrument hasn’t had a huge presence in the musical world, but from b-horror movies to The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations,” where it’s popped up, the impact has certainly been felt.

What’s the one thing that could possibly make the theremin neater? That’s right, lasers.

The beamz Music Performance System (note the lowercase “b” and the “z” in the place of “s,” for full coolness impact) combines the motion-activated music generation of the theremin with red lasers.

(more …)

Laser TV is a proposed new video display technology using laser optoelectronics. Although proposed as long ago as 1966, laser illumination remained too costly and too poor in performance to viably replace lamps except in some rare ultra-high-end projectors.

At the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show in 2006, Novalux Inc., developer of Necsel™ semiconductor laser technology, demonstrated their laser illumination source for projection displays and a prototype rear-projection “laser” TV.

First reports on the development of a commercial Laser TV were published as early as 2006-02-16 with a decision on the large-scale availability of laser televisions expected by early 2008.

On January 7, 2008, at an event associated with the Consumer Electronics Show 2008, Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, a key player in the LED laser market, unveiled their first commercial Laser TV, a 65″ Full HD model.

A Laser TV requires lasers in three distinct wavelengths: Red, Green and Blue. While red laser diodes are commercially available, there are no commercially available green and blue laser diodes which can provide the required power at room temperature with an adequate life time. Instead frequency doubling can be used to provide the blue and green wavelengths.

(more …)

Applications requiring low-power lasers are expected to drive growth in the laser projection market, according to the latest report from Insight Media.

The first application to use laser projectors is expected to be rear-projection television (RPTV), driven primarily by the price and availability of lasers. That’s according to market analyst Insight Media, who also predicts that the largest single market will be pico-projectors – with sales projected to reach millions by 2012.

The report, entitled “2007 Laser Projection Systems: A study of the use of lasers as an illumination source for projection systems’, predicts that applications requiring the lowest power lasers will drive growth in the laser projection market.

(more …)

FT. LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ― You usually associate lasers with zapping away unwanted hair. Now new technology uses low energy laser light to stimulate hair growth.

Noticing a significant amount of hair loss about a year ago Janet Pangborn, of Ft. Lauderdale, said at first it was a little frightening.

“Just like everyone else you panic when you start losing your hair,” said Pangborn. “What are you going to do? How are you going to stop it? How far is it going to go before it’s all gone?”

After considering her options, Pangborn decided to try laser treatment to battle the baldness.

“It was hard to believe it was actually doing anything,” said Pangborn, “you feel absolutely nothing.”

Twice a week, Pangborn undergoes treatments which involve sitting under a laser hood while beams of low energy laser light are directed at her scalp.

After two months of treatments, Pangborn said the results are obvious.  “I can plainly and clearly see new hair growing back,” said Pangborn.

(more …)

The Canadian Forces are looking at buying laser weapons designed to temporarily blind individuals as part of their efforts to reduce the number of innocent Afghans killed or wounded by troops for failing to heed warnings not to approach military convoys.

The systems, generally referred to as laser dazzlers, are capable of “disrupting” the vision of a person 50 to 500 metres away, depending on the specific type of model used.

(more …)

The Opnext HL6364DG, HL6365DG and HL6376DG laser diodes are low-operating current red laser diodes, (640nm wavelength band, 65mW max. optical output power), which offer the World’s highest output power from 640nm laser diodes for applications including industrial and medical sensors and display light sources.

Another World First for Opnext is the HL6366DG, HL6367DG, HL6378DG series of 642nm visible wavelength laser diodes which offer the highest ever optical output power of 90mW (max.) in a 5.6mm package with high temperature operation of 50 degrees C and low operating current of 155mA typ. They are ideal as light sources for laser displays.

(more …)

Ondax has appointed Photonic Products, the UK laser assembly manufacturer and laser diode specialist, as the authorised European distributor for its range of wavelength stabilised laser diodes which are low cost, miniature lasers in a standard TO package.

Stabilisation is achieved using the Ondax Volume Holographic Grating (VHG) PowerLocker™.  The PowerLocker™ increases the spectral brightness of laser diodes, ensuring a precise centre wavelength over the locked region and improving temperature stability and yield, which enhances performance and enables many applications including storage, metrology, bio-instrumentation, analytical instrumentation, sensing, flow cytometry and graphic arts.

(more …)

As a laser diode approaches the end of its operational life, its imminent failure is signalled by an increase in the current being drawn from its drive circuitry. Typically, when the current draw reaches a value of 120% of its original operating value, the laser diode is considered to have reached its “Near End of Life” condition.

PM-NEOLD laser diode modules have an integral “Near End of Life Detection” facility which is set to respond when this condition has been reached.

(more …)