Glossary
A
Ablation
Laser ablation is the process of removing material from a solid substance. Many different laser types are used, and the technique can be applied to virtually any class of material – metals, semiconductors, glass, ceramics, polymers, wood, stone, tissue, and other biological materials.
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Astronomy Lasers
Lasers have become an essential tool for astronomers, enabling more precise observations of celestial objects. In particular, they make it possible to create better images of distant stars, galaxies, and other celestial objects than previously possible.
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Diamond Heat Spreader
A diamond heat spreader is a slim (typically ≤2 mm) sheet of synthetic (or lab-grown) diamond used to dissipate heat. It is typically placed between a heat source and a heat sink .
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Etching
Laser etching is a broad term covering various marking and shallow engraving processes. It is used on products as diverse as auto parts, medical devices, wine barrels, microelectronic components, and tombstones.
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Faraday Rotators and Faraday Isolators
A Faraday rotator is an optic that rotates the polarization orientation of light. It consists of magneto-optic crystal placed in a magnetic field. A Faraday rotator is often combined with other polarization components to make a Faraday isolator, which is essentially a one-way valve for light.
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Fiber Optic Gyroscope
Fiber optic gyroscopes (FOGs) are highly precise and accurate rotation sensors. They are used in navigation and guidance systems in aircraft, spacecraft, ships, and other vehicles. They sense rotation by measuring the interference of laser light traveling within a coil of optical fiber.
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Fiber Sensors
Fiber sensors are used to detect changes in physical, chemical, or biological parameters. Their unique combination of advantageous features has led to their use in fields as diverse as structural monitoring, oil and gas exploration, environmental monitoring, and medical diagnostics.
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Flow Cytometry
Flow cytometry uses lasers to count or sort different types of cells and other biological particles. For example, when you get a blood count from your doctor, the analysis is done via flow cytometry. It’s also used in research, pharmaceuticals, and even cattle farming.
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H
Holmium Laser
The Ho:YAG (or holmium) laser is a high-power, solid-state, near-infrared source that can be fiber delivered. This makes it a popular tool for surgical applications in urology, orthopedics, gynecology, dentistry, and more.
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L
Laser
The word “laser” is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. All lasers convert input energy into light through the process of stimulated emission.
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Laser Cooling
Laser cooling is a technique in atomic physics and quantum optics that can slow down and trap atomic and molecular particles. The method is based on the interaction between light and matter, and it exploits the way in which photons transfer momentum to atoms.
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Laser Gain Crystal
Laser Gain crystals are the components within solid-state lasers which enable the amplification of light through stimulated emission – the process which forms the basis of laser operation.
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Laser Optics
Laser optics are components specifically intended for manipulating laser light, which is typically coherent and monochromatic, frequently polarized, and sometimes of high intensity.
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Laser Pumping
Laser pumping refers to introducing energy into a laser system to produce a population inversion, where there are more atoms or molecules in an excited state than in the ground state. This increases the probability of stimulated emission of light and enables lasing to occur.
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Lens
A lens is an optical component made from a transparent material that has at least one curved surface. Its primary function is to refract (redirect) transmitted light rays, either converging them to a focus or diverging them to spread light out. The applications of lenses are extraordinarily diverse, spanning everything from eyeglasses, cameras, and automotive headlamps to laser systems, virtual reality goggles, and fiberoptic networks.
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Lithotripsy
Lasers have been used to treat kidney stones since the 1980s because they often deliver better patient outcomes than other methods. The Holmium laser is the current “gold standard” for this process, called laser lithotripsy. But technology continues to advance, and Thulium fiber lasers are now poised to gain acceptance.
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M
MOPA
A Master Oscillator Power Amplifier (MOPA) is a two-part system used in laser technology. The Master Oscillator (MO), or seed laser, generates a low-power, high-quality "seed" signal with specific characteristics such as wavelength, linewidth, and pulse duration. The Power Amplifier (PA) then significantly boosts the output power of this seed signal, maintaining the original qualities set by the master oscillator.
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Multi-Mode Fibers
Multi-mode (mm) fibers have large optical cores that can carry multiple modes, or paths, of light. Their main applications include telecom and audio/video links. Some specialty optical fibers are also available as mm, e.g., for medical and laser beam delivery tasks.
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NonLinear Crystals
Nonlinear crystals are specialized materials that interact with light in a way that changes its frequency (color), phase, polarization, and other properties. The magnitude of these effects is dependent upon the intensity of the input light.
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Optical Fibers
Fiber optics are hair-thin strands of glass or plastic that transmit light over distances just like wires carry electricity. They're used extensively in telecommunications, datacomm, laser beam delivery, sensing, medical applications, and more.
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PCB Depaneling
PCB depaneling refers to the process of removing individual printed circuit boards (PCBs) from a larger panel that was used for simultaneous manufacturing. This process is a crucial step in PCB manufacturing, as PCBs are typically produced in a panel containing multiple boards for efficiency.
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Powell Lens
Powell lenses are optics used to generate a uniform-intensity laser line. They employ a unique cylindrical aspheric surface shape to accomplish this. Powell lenses are used in applications as diverse as machine vision and flow cytometry.
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Pulsed Laser Deposition
Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) is used to deposit a wide variety of thin films onto a broad range of substrates. The high energy and short wavelengths of excimer lasers result in unmatched deposition rates and high-quality films with excellent stoichiometry.
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S
Laser Scanning
Laser scanning is just moving a laser beam across a surface – whether it’s to read a product barcode, project a laser light show, or weld an autobody. While conceptually simple, the actual technologies used for laser scanning can be quite sophisticated.
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Ytterbium Laser
Ytterbium lasers offer several advantages over those based on other gain materials. While sometimes created as slab or disk lasers, their main impact is as fiber lasers with ultrafast output for scientific and materials processing applications.
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