Crystals and optics processing services

Co2+:MgAl2O4 Cospinel is a relatively new material for passive Q-switching in lasers emitting from 1.2 to 1.6 μm, in particular, for eye-safe 1.54 μm Er:glass laser, but also works at 1.44 μm and 1.34 μm wavelengths. Spinel is a hard, stable crystal that polishes well. Cobalt substitutes readily for magnesium in the Spinel host without the need for additional charge compensation ions. High absorption cross section (3.5×10-19 cm2) permits Q-switching of Er:glass laser without intracavity focusing both with flash-lamp and diode-laser pumping. Negligible excited-state absorption results in high contrast of Q-switch, i.e. the ratio of initial (small signal) to saturated absorption is higher than 10.

HGO grows Ho:YLF laser crystals using Czochralski technology. Ho:YLF is a very attractive laser material, because the lifetime of the upper laser level is much longer ( ~ 14 ms) than in Ho:YAG and the emission cross sections are higher. Additionally the thermal lens in Ho:YLF is much weaker, which helps to generate diffraction limited beams even under intense end-pumping. The primary advantage of directly pumping the Ho 5I7 is that it does not have to depend on energy transfer, which lends itself to various radiative and non-radiative losses. Up-conversion losses that have deleterious effect in high-energy Q-switched lasers are eliminated.

Colored glass filters are optical components that control incident wavelength by distributing an optical absorbing substance in glass.

Laser Line Mirrors are used for beam-steering in demanding laser applications. Laser Line Mirrors are Optical Mirrors that have been designed for specific laser types or wavelengths.

Plano-concave rectangular cylindrical lenses provide uni- axial negative imaging for anamorphic beam expansion and a wide range of applications.These lenses may also be used as mirror blanks if a concave cylindrical surface mirror is required.

Magnesium Fluoride Windows applicable for wide range spectrum, transmits well into the VUV region at the hydrogen Lyman-alpha line and beyond and it is particularly useful for Excimer laser application.It is resistant to mechanical and thermal shock, to radiation, and is chemically stable.    

Ytterbium-doped Potassium Gadolinium Tungstate (Yb:KGd(WO₄)₂, Yb:KGW) crystal is an excellent laser gain material, boasting numerous advantages over the widely used Nd³⁺-doped materials. Its wide spectral emission band of 1023-1060 nm enables the generation of short laser pulses (picosecond or femtosecond level). The broad absorption band at 980 nm and highly absorbent pump radiation allow it to efficiently utilize diode laser pumping. Compared with YAG doped with Yb³⁺ ions, KGW crystal has a larger absorption cross-section, which reduces the minimum pump intensity required to achieve transparency in the quasi-two-level system of Yb.

KDP Potassium Dihydrogen Phosphate and KD*P or DKDP Potassium Dideuterium Phosphate are among the most widely-used commercial NLO materials, characterized by good UV transmission, high damage threshold, and high birefringence, though their NLO coefficients are relatively low. They are usually used for doubling, tripling and quadrupling of a Nd:YAG laser under the room temperature. In addition, they are also excellent electro-optic crystals with high electro-optic coefficients, widely used as electro-optical modulators, such as Q-switches, Pockels Cells, etc.