22 October 2014

Shimadzu adds 10W blue direct diode laser for materials processing and measuring applications

Japan’s Shimadzu Corp has expanded its product line of high-output high-brightness short-wavelength laser products by releasing the HK-5650 fiber-coupled blue direct diode laser, exhibited at the International Exhibition for Advanced Optical Technology (InterOpto 2014) at Pacifico Yokohama, Japan (15-17 October).

In anticipation of the expected rapid expansion in the market for materials processing lasers, Shimadzu has been focusing on establishing a business supplying lasers with next-generation functionality used for processing materials. The firm has hence developed the HK-5650 10W-output fiber-coupled blue direct diode laser as a strategic product.

The direct diode laser offers the advantages of small size, high electrical-to-optical conversion efficiency, and potentially low costs from mass production. However, increasing the output requires a large light-emitting surface, which reduces brightness. Also, due to the infrared light it produces, conventionally its applications have been limited to the heating or welding plastics.

In contrast, the latest product offers 16 times higher brightness than previous models at the short 450nm wavelength (where absorption by metals is high) and has an especially small spot size. It is hence suitable for applications such as the microfabrication of highly reflective and highly thermally conductive materials (such as gold and copper), which has been increasing in demand due to the diversification of processed materials and the miniaturization of smart phones and other electronic devices. It is also suitable for 3D printers, which have attracted considerable interest in recent years. Furthermore, research is being conducted on using it for next-generation lighting applications, where it is suitable as a laser excitation source for white phosphors. The fiber-coupled design allows transmission flexibility for a high degree of freedom and greater general applicability.

Shimadzu aims to continue increasing output and brightness levels in the future, and to take advantage of the technology developed with this product to develop high-brightness red and green laser modules as well, which could be used in RGB (red-green-blue) light sources for large projectors.

Shimadzu plans to expand its laser business by expanding the product line to meet the diverse needs of users in the laser processing field (which accounts for 30% of the light source market), in the analytical and measuring instrument fields (where the firm expects to reap synergistic benefits via its core business), and in other new application fields.

See related items:

Shimadzu unveils 10W blue laser diode, enabling micro-machining applications

Tags: Blue laser diode

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