Laser Focus World Editor in Chief John Lewis and Laser Market Research President and Principal Laser Analyst Allen Nogee take an objective look, based on quantitative data from Strategies Unlimited, at the impact of COVID-19 on the 2020 laser market.

Since its introduction in 2017, the blue industrial laser has changed the game for metal-processing applications.  The blue laser made its first mark by demonstrating an unmatched capability to rapidly produce high-quality copper welds.  Advances in power and brightness quickly followed that initial success, bringing high-quality and speed to processing of stainless steel, aluminum, brass, and many other reflective metals.  Technical advances now also make it easy to integrate the blue laser with standard industrial scanning systems and other automated production facilities.  The advantages in speed and quality enable new efficiencies in consumer electronics, battery fabrication, and emobility applications.

Sputter coating curved and 3D surfaces with a novel technology to enable new applications.

Yesterday’s R&D activities make way for higher precision and more extreme surfaces available today for novel optical system designs. This presentation will overview the latest advances in freeform optics and what kind of freeforms are available today. Applications such as off-axis telescope systems and high-power laser mirrors will be discussed and conversation starters to consider when purchasing a freeform optic. This presentation will also take a glimpse into current research topics and what capabilities might be in available in the future.

When it comes to long-range, multispectral optical systems, large mirrors play an integral role. They take many shapes — spherical, aspheric, parabolic, or freeform — and are used for a wide spectrum of light, including visible, UV, and IR. Over the last 10 years, optical systems with reflective elements have been used by system integrators in the defense and aerospace industries, in surveillance and monitoring, and in certain commercial applications. For example, large mirrors may be integrated into the optical systems of large unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in long-distance aerial monitoring of agricultural field temperature using IR. In this webcast, we will discuss challenges in the optical design and manufacturing of refractive optics, while presenting relevant case studies.

From laser levels and surveying equipment, to advanced robotics, range finders and LiDAR mapping systems, today’s products demand enhanced vision components with innovative performance, robust designs and added value engineering. Excelitas next-generation Pulsed Laser Diode emitters and high-performance Avalanche Photodiode sensors empower the vision of tomorrow by extending range, reducing power requirements and keeping projects on spec and on budget.

Surface grinders have come a long way in both precision and technology in the last decade. DougHenke, DCM Technical Specialist, will briefly discuss some of the advantages of these new technologies.

Over the last few years, ultrafast lasers have become instrumental in a wide range of applications such as material processing and microscopy. Edmund Optics provides customers with complete ultrafast optical solutions through significant investments in internal laser optics manufacturing and metrology as well as through strategic partnerships. 

Numerical simulation is instrumental for developing and researching optical and photonic components and systems. With multiphysics-enabled wave and ray optics modeling techniques, engineers can conduct any number of realistic virtual experiments to better understand and optimize their designs, while reducing time and costs for building physical prototypes. Optical simulation spans a wide variety of application areas, including fiber optics, waveguides, couplers, cameras, spectrometers, and laser cavities, any of which might incorporate coupled structural-thermal-optical performance (STOP) analysis.

This panel discussion will cover best practices for wave and ray optics simulation, coupled multiphysics analysis, and the use of specialized simulation apps to bring the benefit of simulation to more people.

Techniques like cavity ring-down spectroscopy, frequency modulation spectroscopy, and comb-referenced spectroscopy enable precision measurements of molecular gases. These techniques are used regularly in the near-infrared, where light sources are widely available. Engineering and software advances now provide convenient access to the 2 – 4 µm spectral region with high power, wide tuning, and narrow linewidth. In this webinar, we will demonstrate that a CW Optical Parametric Oscillator, TOPTICA's TOPO, can unlock the potential for research in the molecular stretching region of the spectrum.

The photodiode, in either single-detector form or in linear or two-dimensional arrays, is widely used as the photodetecting element in optical systems for applications ranging from sensing to imaging and telecommunications. Being solid-state, they are small, rugged, reliable, and often low in cost.  

This webcast presents an overview of photodiode technology and applications, concentrating on silicon devices but covering photodiodes of other materials such as indium gallium arsenide.