LDH-FA Series

The picosecond pulsed laser diode heads of the LDH-FA Series are based on a Master Oscillator Fiber Amplifier (MOFA) concept with optional frequency conversion. The master oscillator generates infrared picosecond pulses with variable repetition rates up to 80 MHz using the proven gain-switching techniques from PicoQuant. The output of this seed laser is directly connected to a single or double stage fiber amplifier, which boosts the output from the seed laser by several dB while maintaining the other characteristics of the seed laser beam like the emission wavelength, polarization and the short pulse width.

Conversion to UV, green, yellow, orange, or red

The high pulse energies of the amplified infrared lasers permit an efficient wavelength conversion using, for example, single pass second harmonic generation (SHG), third harmonic generation (THG) or even fourth harmonic generation (FHG). In that way it is, for the first time, possible to generate picosecond pulses at 266, 355, 515, 531, 560, 595, 766, or 775 nm with adjustable repetition rates up to 80 MHz and pulse widths below 100 ps (FWHM). As an example, the pulse width (FWHM) of a LDH-P-FA-355 emitting at 355 nm has been determined as 47.4 ps by means of a streak camera measurement.

Measurement courtesy of Dr. Tobias Korn, A.G. Prof Dr Christian Schüller, University of Regensburg, Germany.

Average output power up to 450 mW

The laser heads are available in two versions that either emit from a polarization maintaining single mode fiber with FC/APC fiber connector or generate a collimated output beam. The fiber coupled version is available at 531, 595, 1030, 1063, or 1530 nm and can generate up to 50 mW (1030 and 1063 nm) average output power at maximal repetition rate. The laser heads with collimated output are available at 266, 355, 515, 531, 560, 766, 775, 1062, and 1532 nm. The achievable average power levels of these laser heads depend on the number of amplification stages and the efficiency of the optional frequency conversion stage and can reach more than 450 mW for the 1532 nm laser at maximum repetition rate.

Repetition rate up to 80 MHz

Most laser heads of the LDH-FA Series are designed to work at repetition rates up to 80 MHz. The minimum repetition rate depends on the exact fiber amplifier architecture used in the specific laser head and ranges from 1 kHz to 1 MHz. For the fiber coupled versions even repetition rates down to 10 kHz are possible. Driving signals with repetition rates in the MHz range are readily delivered by the PDL Series drivers.

Fiber coupling and combiner

Exception made below 355 nm, the laser heads of the LDH-FA Series can be optionally coupled into a variety of optical fibers (multi-mode, single mode, or polarization maintaining single mode) via different connector types. We recommend FC/APC connectors for most applications, since they prevent back reflections that can interfere with laser stability. For details see our solutions for fiber coupling.

Furthermore, the laser heads of the LDH-FA can be combined with up to 4 other laser heads (LDH Series ) into a single delivery fiber within our Laser Combining Unit (LCU).

General specifications

All Information given here is reliable to our best knowledge. However, no responsibility is assumed for possible inaccuracies or omissions. Specifications and external appearances are subject to change without notice.

The table below is regularly updated based on data from recently manufactured laser heads. Other specifications such
as shorter pulse widths or higher powers might be possible depening on the performance of diodes in stock.
Please contact us for more information.

¹ at max. repetition rate
² limited collimation range
³ any other wavelength between 765 and 780 nm can be provided upon request (may result in longer delivery times)
 

Other wavelength as well as wavelength selection are available upon special request. All measurements shown may be subject to a 10% callibration error.

Each laser head undergoes an extensive burn-in test to ensure long-term stability and is shipped with a comprehensive set of test data. This test data is kept in our database, which already holds records of more than 15 years.

All Information given here is reliable to our best knowledge. However, no responsibility is assumed for possible inaccuracies or omissions. Specifications and external appearances are subject to change without notice.

The picosecond pulsed diode lasers of the LDH-FA Series can be used for various applications, where short pulses with high and variable repetition rates as well as stable pulse energies are important, such as:

• Time-Resolved Fluorescence
• Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIM)
• Phosphorescence Lifetime Imaging (PLIM)
• Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS)
• Fluorescence Lifetime Correlation Spectroscopy (FLCS)
• Foerster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET)
• Stimulated Emission Depletion Microscopy (STED)
• Dual Focus Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (2fFCS)
• Pulsed Interleaved Excitation (PIE)
• Fluorescence Anisotropy (Polarization)
• Singlet Oxygen
• Laser Cutting/Ablation
• Time-Resolved Photoluminescence (TRPL)
• TRPL Imaging
• Lanthanide Upconversion
• LIDAR/Ranging/SLR
• Antibunching
• Single Molecule Spectroscopy / Detection
• 3D polymerization

The following documents are available for download:

• Datasheet LDH-FA Series
• Brochure about PicoQuant's laser products
• Design LDH-P-FA Series
• Design LDH-P-FA-266 and LDH-P-FA-355
• Design LDH-P-FA-530B
• Design LDH-P-FA-560
• Design LDH-P-FA-1060 and LDH-P-FA-1530