Coherent Introduces 1 kW Optical Isolator for High-Energy Ultrashort-Pulse Lasers

PITTSBURGH, May 30, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Coherent Corp. (NYSE: COHR), a leader in advanced laser materials processing solutions, today introduced the PAVOS kW Ultra, an optical isolator that is robustly designed to withstand up to 1 kW of power and is specifically targeting applications involving high-energy ultrashort-pulse (USP) lasers.

The growing adoption of carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) in automotive and aerospace applications is one of many megatrends driving the demand for USP laser processing tools, due to their optimal characteristics for cutting and marking such polymer materials. The PAVOS kW Ultra from Coherent enables femtosecond-pulse lasers to maintain exceptional beam quality at a very high pulse energy.

“We are bringing to the market a unique solution that has already been validated with live femtosecond laser trials in customer labs,” said Dr. Chris Koeppen, Chief Innovation Officer. “This product integrates our breakthrough innovations in magneto-optic crystals, thin-film coatings, and polarizer optics, resulting in a vertically integrated product with highly differentiated performance.”

The new PAVOS kW Ultra features superior beam quality and high isolation while achieving about one-tenth the absorption and thermal lens focal shift compared with existing products. The isolator features a 12 mm aperture that enables large laser beam size, significantly increasing the laser damage threshold.

The PAVOS kW Ultra is ideal for USP lasers operating at one micron wavelengths such as fiber lasers and diode pumped solid-state lasers. These USP lasers are increasingly used for creating large-area applications in aerospace and mold texturing as well as meeting the high throughput demands of the automotive industry. The PAVOS kW Ultra will be generally available by the fall of 2023.

Coherent will exhibit at Laser World of Photonics, in Munich, Germany, June 27-30, stand B3.321; Laser Korea, in Seoul, July 5-7; and Laser World of Photonics China, in Shanghai, stand W2 2140, July 11-13. At these conferences, Coherent will showcase the most recent additions to its broad portfolio of differentiated solutions for materials processing.