What is a femtosecond laser?
Femtosecond lasers are a subset of ultrafast lasers that emit optical pulses with a duration well below 1 ps, i.e., in the range of femtoseconds. 1 femtosecond (fs) = 10−15 s. Such pulses are generated by modelocking, and the output can be used directly out of the femtosecond oscillator for some applications, or amplified to higher pulse energies for others.
Femtosecond lasers can be used for applications requiring either very high time resolution or very high peak intensity. Because of their very short pulse duration they can be used as a “flash” to capture and resolve very fast processes such as molecular vibrations. The short pulse duration and low duty cycle also means that the energy in each pulse is contained in a very short timescale so that the peak power is extremely high.
Why is KMLabs unique in this field?
KMLabs specializes in lasers with very short, clean, high-contrast pulses in conjunction with high average power and repetition rate tunability.
Several key features make the KMLabs RAEA series the best lasers on the market to meet the most demanding laser system requirements.
- Pedestal-free pulses. The extremely low temporal pedestal content of KMLabs RAEA series amplified Ti:sapphire laser systems will prevent ns interactions by the pedestal from dominating sample interactions over fs and ps processes under study.
- Broad repetition rate tunability and adjustable pulse length. The pulse energy and pulse repetition frequency of the RAEA can be changed by simply loading a preference file on the control computer. The pulse length can easily be tuned by a manual adjustment external to the laser. This versatility will save time and money both during the near-term data acquisition, and in the future since service visits will not be required to adapt the laser to the latest data collection equipment.
- Technical support to adapt and customize the laser system to meet program objectives.
KMLabs also specializes in custom-built laser technologies, leveraging our 20-year history of innovative development of cutting-edge high powered femtosecond lasers and accessories. We have delivered TW-class kHz lasers (25 fs, 25 mJ, 1 kHz) with exceptional beam quality and performance based on our cryo-cooled amplifier technology, as well as > 30 W kHz lasers.
The KMLabs team of engineers and laser designers will work closely with you to produce custom built lasers from concept to production. Please Contact Us with your specific needs.
| Patented Cryogenically Cooled Amplifier |
Unique to KMLabs for single-stage amplifiers |
Cryogenic cooling of the amplifier crystal provides the best possible thermal management of the lasing medium available in the industry. This enables the broadest possible range of repetition rates and pulse energies while retaining excellent beam quality, stable divergence, and beam pointing. Additionally, the industry-leading thermal management significantly increases power handling capability versus other Ti:sapphire lasers on the market and enables very low temporal pedestal content. |
| Pulse energy reaches >1.2 mJ at 10 kHz and more at lower repetition rate | Unique to KMLabs for pulse energy between 5 and 10 kHz with a single-stage amplifier | The consistently high pulse energy with minimum reaching at least 1 mJ at all tunable repetition rate range ensures the customers have maximum flexibility in laser energy output. |
| Broad range of easily tunable dispersion 25 fs to tens of ps | Unique to KMLabs for the level of customization and the needed expertise. The feature of accessing broad range of tunable dispersion is not commonly offered in the market. | The pulse length out of the RAEA series amplifiers can be tuned from 25 fs to tens of ps by adjusting the compressor that changes the total dispersion of the system. This can be done rapidly and repeatably to minimize data acquisition time. The broad range available pulse length gives the customer a large key parameter space to work with. |
KMLabs Femtosecond Laser Product Lineup
| Product | Pulse Duration | Repetition Rate | Pulse Energy | Average Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAEA Ti"sapphire amplifiers | ||||
| RAEA HP | <35 fs | 5 - 30 kHz | 3 mJ @ 5 kHz 2 mJ @ 10 kHz 0.6 mJ @ 20 kHz |
15 W @ 5 kHz 20 W @ 10 kHz 12 W @ 20 kHz |
| RAEA HP (SP) | <25 fs | 5 - 15 kHz | 2 mJ @ 5 kHz 1.3 mJ @ 10 kHz |
10 W @ 5 kHz 13 W @ 10 kHz |
| RAEA HR | <35 fs | 30 - 200 kHz | 200 μJ @ 50 kHz 100 μJ @ 100 kHz 37 μJ @ 200 kHz |
10 W @ 50 kHz 10 W @ 100 kHz |
