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ABSTRACT
Created in 1960, the laser is an optical oscillator composed of three basic elements: an amplifying medium, a resonator and a coupling of the energy generated. This article describes the properties of the laser beam: directivity, spectral purity, pulse durations and wavelength. The various types of existing lasers are presented: solid-state, fiber, semiconductor, gas and dye lasers. Due to the variety of its forms, the laser has become essential in many sectors (scientific, industrial, telecommunications, optical, military, biomedical). In conclusion, this article presents the lasers power and energy measurements (types of measurements and selection criteria of measuring instruments).
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Read the articleAUTHORS
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Costel SUBRAN: Opton Laser International (Orsay)
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Jean SAGAUT: Opton Laser International (Orsay)
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Sophie LAPOINTE: Gentec Electro-Optics (Canada)
INTRODUCTION
On May 16, 1960, a bright spot of red light appeared on the wall of a Hughes research laboratory in California: the first laser was born.
It wasn't an impressive device: it consisted of a small cylindrical ruby crystal (Cr 3+ ions dispersed in an alumina matrix) surrounded by a helical flash lamp. Yet few inventions have brought about a revolution on such a scale, whether in the world of science, industry, telecommunications or medicine.
In fact, the importance of the laser was immediately recognized. Skeptics were quick to describe the laser as a "solution in search of a problem", but their disbelief was soon disproved by the rapid and impressive progress of both the laser itself and its applications. Today, lasers have taken on extremely varied forms, and have become an irreplaceable tool in many fields.
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Lasers: principles, applications and energy measurement
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...Standards and norms
- Acceptance tests for Nd:YAG laser beam welding machines – Machines with fiber-optic beam transport – Part 1: laser assembly (classification index: A89-702-1). - NF EN ISO 22827-1 - 01-06
- Optics and photonics – Lasers and laser-related equipment – Vocabulary and symbols (classification index: S10-105). - NF EN ISO 11145 - 10-08
- Acceptance testing of quality laser beam welding and cutting machines CO2 – Part...
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