PowerPhotonic has launched a new family of axicon array beam shapers for use with multi-mode lasers. Capable of handling very high peak and pulsed power, the arrays can be used to generate ring-shaped spots, a typical requirement for materials processing applications.
These beam shapers have an array of axicons – conical-surface lenses – typically arranged in a hexagonal pattern that, in combination with a collimated multimode input beam, form to create a ring-shaped spot.
By controlling the angle of the axicon and the tip radius precisely, PowerPhotonic can adjust the ring diameter, the level of extinction in the centre of the ring, and the width of the ring. The beam shapers exhibit very high transmission efficiencies, up to 98 per cent, due to an ultra-smooth low-scatter optical surface.
The new family consists of a small number of readily available standard products, with low cost options to customise the key parameters of the design should the need arise. Typical applications for the axicon arrays include materials processing such as additive manufacturing and welding, laser diagnostics and research applications requiring a ring-shaped laser output.