Three Ways to Measure a Laser's Performance

For those who work with lasers and laser systems, quantifying a laser's behavior is a bit like evaluating the spare tire when considering the purchase of a new car. The laser is not usually the first thing considered when characterizing a laser-based application. But when the laser is critical to the application's success, quantifying its performance is absolutely necessary.

The real challenges begin when a great many parameters can describe the laser's behavior — especially when it is unclear which parameters should be measured to keep an application on track. There are many subtle differences between measurement methods and an endless variety of instruments and technologies that at first glance seem to do the same things.

Mark Slutzki clarifies what the various beam parameters actually mean and provides an overview of the technologies typically used for measuring each of the parameters. He focuses mainly on power/energy-related issues but touches on beam profile and temporal pulse characterization as well.

To make this more practical and meaningful, Slutzki zooms in on several real-life examples that are specifically tricky to measure — such as VCSELs, widely diverging beams, and high-power beams using small sensors — to provide a feel for the thought processes that lead to an optimal solution. By gaining a better understanding of how laser measurement instruments work, listeners will be more able to choose the right laser equipment and make sense of its outputs.

About the presenter
Mark Slutzki has been with Ophir since 2004 and serves as product manager for Power and Energy Measurement Solutions. Prior to that, he held similar positions in the semiconductor and telecom industries. Slutzki served in the Israeli Air Force as a research physicist working on special projects. He has a degree in electro-optics and applied physics.