Picosecond Pulsed Sources

LDH-I Series

Smart Laser Diode Heads for Taiko PDL M1

  • Wavelengths between 375 nm and 1550 nm
  • Pulse widths as short as 20 ps (FWHM)
  • Repetition rate from single shot to 100 MHz
  • Adjustable (average) power up to 200 mW
  • Pulsed, bursts, and CW operation
  • Power calibrated, operating hours counter, TE cooled
  • Collimated beam, optional fiber coupling
  • Dual calibration: max power and linear mode
  • High power multimode diodes in Vis and NIR

PicoQuant's 5 years limited warranty for selected product typesLDH-I Series features a large range of smart laser heads compatible with the Taiko PDL M1 driver. Laser heads from this series provide wavelengths in the spectral range from 375 to 1550 nm and include power calibrations. When coupled with a Taiko PDL M1, their optical output power can be controlled in both pulsed and continuous modes. Additionally, a wavelength calibration is available in CW mode. Each laser head is identified by the Taiko PDL M1 driver and includes not only linearized calibration data but also an operating hours counter.

The high quality and reliability of the laser heads are expressed by a unique 5-year limited warranty.

Pulse widths down to 20 ps

Pulse profile of an IB-405-B laser headAll laser heads emit picosecond pulses with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) typically around 90 ps or below. For some laser heads even pulse widths down to 20 ps are possible. The pulse width itself cannot be controlled directly, but does depend on the selected power level of the diode. At maximum intensity, the pulse width can broaden.

 

 

Adjustable and calibrated average power

LDH-I vs. LDH laser head: the pulse energy increases linearly with the intensity setting for the LDH-I headThe  laser heads are calibrated for two distinct modes: the classic linear mode the new max. power mode.
In linear mode, both pulse energy and pulse shape are guaranteed to remain constant over the entire range of repetition rates for a given intensity setting. This ensures a very stable instrument response function (IRF) for, e.g., lifetime measurements and offers perfect linearity of average power for every repetition rate. As a consequence, doubling the repetition rate therefore effectively doubles the average output power.
The max. power mode allows reaching the highest pulse energy at each repetition rate. The exact amount of extra power that can be achieved depends both on the connected laser head as well as on the repetition rate at which it is operated.
In either mode the pulse energy increases linearly with the intensity setting (in %).
The levels of average optical output power are measured and saved in the internal memory of the laser head as mW / W calibration data for all repetition rates between 1 MHz and 100 MHz typically. The average power in CW mode is calibrated as well.
Three lasing regimes of the laser diode, which depend on the intensity setting, are identified and plotted: spontaneous emission (below laser threshold), short pulse (lower intensity setting), broaden pulse (higher intensity setting). The currently set regime is recognized and shown on the local display of the Taiko PDL M1 with an intuitive color code on the intensity scale.
The achievable pulse energies range from several tens of pico joule to up to 2 nanojoules , which corresponds to maximum average output powers of up to 150 mW milliwatts at high repetition rate.

Repetition rates up to 100 MHz

All laser heads are designed to work at repetition rates from single shot up to values in the MHz range. The maximum repetition rate depends on each single diode and is typically 100 MHz. For some laser heads a maximum repetition rate of e.g., 60 MHz is recommended in order to ensure a constant pulse energy at all repetition rate.

Pulsed, bursts and CW operation

All laser heads of the LDH-I Series can be operated in pulsed, burst, and CW mode. While the pulsed mode corresponds to a constant repetition rate commonly used for time-resolved measurement, the burst mode enables generation of flexible bursts of pulses (with selectable amount of pulses and burst period) which is useful for measuring long lifetime decays, laser ranging applications and specific seeding tasks. The CW mode enables a much higher average laser power.

Hot plug capable

As an additional feature, laser heads of the LDH-I Series are capable of hot plugging. This means that swapping laser heads to change wavelength no longer requires to turn off the driver.

Fiber coupling

The laser heads of the LDH-I 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.


General specifications

Beam parameters1
Optics focus length f' = 4.5 mm (Typ. for most LDH-IB)
f' = 9.0 mm (Typ. for LDH-IB-xxx-T)
Numerical aperture 0.55
Typical divergence (with optics) Theta parallel 0.11 mrad
Theta perpendicular 0.32 mrad
Beam shape Elliptical shape, typ. dimensions 1.5 × 3.5 mm
Polarization typ. linear, perpendicular to the longer axis of the elliptical beam2
Polarization Extinction Ratio (PER) typ. > 1:10  (> 10 dB)
Side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) typ. < 0.01
Cooling
Peltier cooling stability better than 1 K for ambient temperature between 15°C and 30°C
Dimensions
Cylinder 76 × 175 mm (diameter × length)
Cylinder with fiber coupling 76 × 207 mm (diameter × length)
Cuboid 175 × 77 × 83.7 mm (lenght × width × height)
Cuboid with fiber coupling 207 × 77 × 83.7 mm (length × width × height)
Spectral width3
Wavelengths < 900 nm approx. 2 to 8 nm
Wavelengths > 900 nm approx. 10 to 20 nm
CW operation < 1 nm
Power stability
12 hours, Delta T (ambient) < 3 K 1 % RMS, 3 % peak to peak

1the values of beam parameter are typical values. Some fluctuation may occur. In particular the beam divergence can be larger for multimode diode laser diode head (LDH-IB-XXX-M).
2 a few exceptions may occur
3 narrow bandwidth on request

 

Warning label class 3b laser product


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 following tables list the pulse parameters and power values of the available wavelengths of the LDH-I Series (available between 375 and 1550 nm). The two power adjustment levels specified here refer to the same laser head. These levels can be adjusted using the corresponding driver Taiko PDL M1. The 'Low' adjustment is the best choice for shortest pulses and is usually reached close to the lasing threshold. The 'High' adjustment is used to achieve highest pulse power and corresponds to the maximum intensity setting of the driver. These laser heads have a spectral width of a few nm. Special selected laser heads with narrow spectral bandwidth can also be provided.

The table below is updated on a regular basis based on data of recently manufactured laser heads. Other specifications such as shorter pulse widths, higher powers, further wavelengths might be possible on request.
Please contact us for more information.

Wavelength
(± 10) [nm]
Type
(LDH-)
Pulse1
(FWHM) [ps]
Max. rep. rate [MHz] High avg. power2 [mW] Low avg. power3 [mW] CW power [mW]
375 IB-375-P < 40 70 3.0 1.0 10
375 IB-375-B < 70 80 7.0 1.5 20
375 IB-375-M-P < 90 50 8.0 3.0 100
375 IB-375-M < 110 50 35.0 - 100
395 IB-390-B < 70 100 20.0 3.0 50
405 IB-405-P < 40 80 4.0 1.0 10
405 IB-405-B < 50 100 20.0 3.0 50
405 IB-405-M-P < 100 50 50.0 10.0 200
405 IB-405-M < 160 50 85.0 - 200
420 IB-420-B < 60 100 12.0 2.0 50
440 IB-440-B < 80 100 25.0 1.0 50
440 IB-440-M-P < 100 80 30.0 10.0 200
440 IB-440-M < 160 50 85.0 - 200
450 IB-450-B < 70 80 12.0 2.0 50
450 IB-450-M-P < 110 50 40.0 5.0 200
450 IB-450-M < 220 50 85.0 - 200
470 IB-470-B < 80 100 15.0 1.0 70
470 IB-470-M-P < 110 80 40.0 15.0 200
470 IB-470-M < 220 50 100.0 - 200
485 IB-485-P4 < 120 60 3.0 1.5 40
485 IB-485-B4 < 120 100 10.0 1.0 50
485 IB-485-M-P < 140 50 35.0 20.0 200
485 IB-485-M < 220 50 100.0 - 200
500 IB-500-B < 110 70 7.0 1.8 40
510 IB-510-B4 < 110 50 7.0 0.7 40
515 IB-520-B4 < 160 100 7.0 1.0 20
520 IB-520-M-P < 130 50 13.0 6.0 200
520 IB-520-M < 200 50 50.0 - 200
532 (± 3) IB-530-T-P5 < 80 100 - 0.5 20
532 (± 3) IB-530-T-B5 < 80 100 1.1 - 20
561 (± 3) IB-560-T-P5 < 80 100 - 0.5 20
561 (± 3) IB-560-T-B5 < 80 100 0.9 - 20
594 (± 3) IB-595-T-P5 < 100 100 - 0.2 5
594 (± 3) IB-595-T-B5 < 100 100 0.5 - 5
640 IB-640-B < 90 100 30.0 3.0 50
640 IB-640-M-P < 130 60 40.0 4.5 100
640 IB-640-M < 160 70 50.0 - 100
655 IB-650-P < 60 100 1.0 0.5 5
655 IB-650-B < 70 100 10.0 2.5 10
670 IB-670-P < 50 100 2.5 1.0 5
670 IB-670-B < 70 100 7.0 0.8 10
685 IB-690-B < 80 100 10.0 1.0 20
705 IB-705-B < 70 100 20.0 3.0 25
730 IB-730-B < 80 100 20.0 3.0 20
760 IB-760-B < 110 100 9.0 2.0 20
780 IB-780-B < 70 100 30.0 1.0 40
780 IB-780-M-P < 150 100 40.0 12.0 100
780 IB-780-M < 220 80 110.0 - 100
805 IB-810-B < 110 80 10.0 1.5 50
805 IB-810-M-P < 70 100 50.0 5.0 200
805 IB-810-M < 160 80 110.0 - 200
830 IB-830-B < 70 100 10.0 0.3 20
830 IB-830-M-P < 90 100 50.0 12.0 200
830 IB-830-M < 160 80 110.0 - 200
840 IB-840-B < 70 100 15.0 0.8 20
850 IB-850-B < 90 80 10.0 3.0 50
905 IB-905-B < 100 100 8.0 2.0 50
910 IB-910-M-P < 100 80 20.0 10.0 200
910 IB-910-M < 180 80 150.0 - 200
940 IB-940-B < 90 100 6.0 2.0 50
975 IB-980-B < 100 100 7.0 1.8 50
980 IB-980-M-P < 90 100 35.0 4.0 200
980 IB-980-M < 180 80 100.0 - 200
1062 (± 3) IB-1060-B < 130 100 10.0 1.2 40
1062 (± 20) IB-1060-M-P < 80 100 35.0 4.0 200
1062 (± 20) IB-1060-M < 250 80 100.0 - 200
1310 (± 20) IB-1310-B < 50 100 3.0 0.1 5
1550 (± 3) IB-1550-B < 40 100 3.0 0.1 10

1 Shortest pulse width at min intensity setting above laser threshold. Possible pulse broadening at high intensity settings
 Pulses are deconvoluted with 30 ps detection IRF. Shorter pulse widths are available on demand.
2 Average optical power at optimal repetition rate and max intensity setting (in max power mode)
3 Average optical power at max repetition rate and min intensity setting above laser threshold (in linear and in max power mode).
4 Different coupling efficiency into optical fibers for pulsed and CW operation due to astigmatism and possible wavelength shift. The coupling is optimized for pulsed operation as standard.
5 Amplified laser heads are excluded from the 5-year limited warranty.

Naming scheme of the LDH-I Series laser heads

Naming scheme for the LDH-I Series

Description:

"I" = Taiko compatible, "intelligent"

"M" = Multimode diode, reduced coupling efficiency into single mode fibers, not suited for microscopy applications

"T" = Tapered amplified

"P" = Narrow pulse

"B" = High power

 

Warning label class 3b laser product

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 following documents are available for download:



Latest 10 publications referencing Pulsed Diode Lasers (PDL Series, LDH-Series, LDH-FA Series)

The following list is an extract of 10 recent publications from our bibliography that either bear reference or are releated to this product in some way. Do you miss your publication? If yes, we will be happy to include it in our bibliography. Please send an e-mail to info@picoquant.com containing the appropriate citation. Thank you very much in advance for your kind co-operation.

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