Lasers

(Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation)

• A laser is a device that can produce a very

narrow intense beam of monochromatic coherent
light.
• The emitted beam is nearly perfect plane wave.
Common Laser System
Absorption and Spontaneous Emission
Processes
Stimulated Emission (1)

• It is pointed out by Einstein that:

Atoms in an excited state can be stimulated to jump to
a lower energy level when they are struck by a photon
of incident light whose energy is the same as the
energy-level difference involved in the jump. The
electron thus emits a photon of the same wavelength
as the incident photon. The incident and emitted
photons travel away from the atom in phase.
• This process is called stimulated emission.
Stimulated Emission (2)

Emitted
photon

Incident
photon Excited Incident
electron photon
Unexcited
electron

Before emission After emission

Inverted Population
In order to obtain the coherent light from stimulated
emission, two conditions must be satisfied:
1. The atoms must be excited to the higher state. That
is, an inverted population is needed, one in which
more atoms are in the upper state than in the lower
one, so that emission of photons will dominate over
absorption.
Unexcited system Excited system
E3 E3
E2 E2

E1 E1
Metastable State
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2. The higher state must be a metastable state – a state

in which the electrons remain longer than usual so that
the transition to the lower state occurs by stimulated
emission rather than spontaneously.

E3 E3
Metastable state
E2 E2
Incident photon
Photon of energy E2  E1

E1 E1Emitted photon
Metastable system Stimulated emission
 LASER COMPONENTS
ACTIVE MEDIUM
Optical Resonator
Solid (Crystal)
Gas Output
Semiconductor (Diode) Active Beam

Liquid (Dye) Medium

EXCITATION High Reflectance Output Coupler

Mirror (HR) Mirror (OC)
MECHANISM
Excitation
Optical Mechanism
Electrical
Chemical
The Active Medium contains atoms which can emit light
OPTICAL by stimulated emission.
RESONATOR
The Excitation Mechanism is a source of energy to
HR (High Reflectivity) excite the atoms to the proper energy state.
Mirror and
Output Coupler The Optical Resonator reflects the laser beam through
the active medium for amplification.
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CHARACTERISTICS OF LASER LIGHT

MONOCHROMATIC

DIRECTIONAL

COHERENT

The combination of these three properties makes

laser light focus 100 times better than ordinary light

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Properties of Laser Light
• Monochromaticity
• Laser light is concentrated in a narrow range of
wavelengths
• Coherence
• All the emitted photons bear a constant phase
relationship with each other in both time and phase
• Directionality
• laser light is usually low in divergence
• High Irradiance
• light possesses high radiant power per unit area
Laser Tube

• The diagram below shows how stimulated emission builds

up a strong coherent wave in a laser tube
 FUNDAMENTALS OF Q-SWITCHING

Q-Switch opens
Lasing begins
without Q-switch
Stored Energy

With Q-Switch
Without Q-Switch

HR Q AM OC
Time
Output Power

Q-switched Pulse:
Normal Long Pulse: 1 J in 10 ns -> 100 MW
1.0 J in 1.0 ms -> 1 KW

Time

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 REPETITIVE PULSED LASER
POWER AND ENERGY

PRT
Fmax Peak
Power

Qp
POWER (W)

Favg Average
Power

TIME (s)

PRT: Pulse Repetition Time Favg Pulse energy

PRF: Pulse Repetition Frequency Qp =
PRF

1 t Favg Qp
PRF = =
PRT PRT Fmax Fmax =
t Pulse power

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 BEAM DIAMETER

Peak
Irradiance

Average
Gaussian beam shape Irradiance

86.5% d1/e 1/e = 0.368

For safety calculations

63% d1/e2 1/e2 = 0.135

For laser applications

99%
d1/e2
d1/e =
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2
 BEAM DIVERGENCE

LASER f d

d If the beam is 1 foot in diameter

f = r when it hits a wall 1000 feet away,
the beam divergence angle is:

1 ft
f = = 0.001 radian
1000 ft
= 1 mrad

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 IRRADIANCE CALCULATION

20 Watt
Laser

D1 = 1 cm D2 = 0.01 cm
Power
Irradiance =
Area p D2
Area = r2= (D/2)2
4
IRRADIANCE AT LENS:
E 20 watts IRRADIANCE OF FOCUSED
1
= (3.14)(1cm)2/4 SPOT:

E1 = 25 watts/cm2 E2 = 250,000 watts/cm2

The diameter is reduced by a factor of 100.

The irradiance is increased by a factor of 10,000.

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 HELIUM-NEON GAS LASER

Courtesy of Metrologic, Inc.

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 DIODE LASER

Metallic Contact
10 - 20 mm

Current
Distribution
SiO2

+
- Elliptical
Beam
P-N Junction

Cleaved Facet

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 NEODYMIUM YAG LASER

Rear Mirror
Adjustment Knobs
Safety Shutter Polarizer Assembly (optional)
Coolant
Beam Adjustment
Tube Knob
Output
Mirror

Q-switch Beam
(optional)
Nd:YAG Beam Tube
Laser Rod
Flashlamps
Pump
Cavity
Laser Cavity
Harmonic
Generator (optional)

Courtesy of Los Alamos National Laboratory

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 LASER SPECTRUM

Gamma Rays X-Rays Ultra- Visible Infrared Micro- Radar TV Radio

violet waves waves waves waves

10-13 10-12 10-11 10-10 10-9 10-8 10-7 10-6 10-5 10-4 10-3 10-2 10-1 1 10 102

Wavelength (m)

LASERS

Retinal Hazard Region

Ultraviolet Visible Near Infrared Far Infrared

200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 10600

Wavelength (nm)
ArF XeCl HeNe Ruby Communication CO2
193 308 633 694 10600
Diode
KrF Ar 2w Alexandrite GaAs Nd:YAG 1550
248 488/515 Nd:YAG 755 905 1064
532

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Uses of Laser (1)

• In medicine
• to break up gallstones and kidney stones,
• to weld broken tissue (e.g. detached retina)
• to destroy cancerous and precancerous cells; at the same time,
the heat seal off capillaries,
• to remove plaque clogging human arteries.
 Uses of Laser (2)

• In industry
• to drill tiny holes in hard
materials,
• for welding and machining,
• for lining up equipment
precisely, especially in
inaccessible places.
Uses of laser (3)

• In everyday life
• to be used as bar-code readers,
• to be used in compact disc players,
• to produce short pulses of light used in
digital communications,
• to produce holograms.
Holography

• Holography is the production of

holograms by the use of laser.
• A hologram is a 3D image
recorded in a special
photographic plate.
• The image appears to float in
space and to move when the
viewer moves.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF LASERS AND
THEIR EFFECTS ON LASER HAZARDS

Spectral characteristic – Wavelength

In general, shorter wavelengths are more hazardous in any spectral
region, but Near Infrared lasers are the most hazardous because they
are invisible retinal hazards.

Temporal characteristic – Pulse Duration

In general, pulsed lasers are more hazardous than CW lasers.
The shorter the pulse duration, the higher the peak power and the
greater the hazard.

Spatial characteristic – Beam Divergence

Low beam divergence results in a large intrabeam hazard distance.

Focusing characteristic
High retinal irradiance of focused beam creates extreme retinal hazard
for visible and near infrared lasers.

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 LASER SKIN INJURIES

THERMAL SKIN INJURIES

Surface burns from high power beams

Deeper burn penetration at 1 mm wavelength

Tissue vaporization by focused beams

PHOTOCHEMICAL SKIN INJURIES

Sunburn from scattered UV

Possibility of skin cancer from long term UV exposure

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 SKIN BURN FROM CO2 LASER
EXPOSURE

Accidental exposure to partial reflection of 2000 W CO2 laser beam

from metal surface during cutting

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 CDRH(Center for Devices and Radiological
Health) CLASS WARNING LABELS

Laser Radiation VISIBLE LASER RADIATION-

AVOID EYE OR SKIN EXPOSURE TO
Do Not Stare Into Beam DIRECT OR SCATTERED RADIATION

Argon Ion
Helium Neon Laser Wavelength: 488/514 nm
1 milliwatt max/cw Output Power 5 W
CLASS II LASER PRODUCT CLASS IV Laser Product

Class II Class IIIa with small beam

Class IIIa with expanded beam Class IIIb
Class IV

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 INTERNATIONAL LASER
WARNING LABELS

INVISIBLE LASER RADIATION

AVOID EYE OR SKIN EXPOSURE
TO DIRECT OR SCATTERED RADIATION
CLASS 4 LASER PRODUCT
WAVELENGTH 10,600 nm
MAX LASER POWER 200 W
EN60825-1 1998

Symbol and Border: Black Legend and Border: Black

Background: Yellow Background: Yellow

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