PicoQuant has released the LDH-P-FA-530, its new 531nm (green) picosecond pulsed diode laser head. The green diode laser is based on a master-oscillator fibre-amplifier (MOFA) concept with frequency conversion.
A fibre-pigtailed laser diode with spectral narrow bandwidth emission at 1,062nm is used as master oscillator. It is pulsed at a variable repetition rate from 10kHz to 40MHz using the proven gain-switching technique from PicoQuant. The final average output of the LDH-P-FA-530, after the fibre, reaches 1mW at 40MHz repetition rate at pulse widths <100 ps (FWHM). The spliced all-fibre setup makes a topology with a several couplings and interfaces robust and completely maintenance-free.
Due to the fibre amplifier concept, the laser is very compact with dimensions of only 195 x 112 x 24mm. It can be driven by the established PDL 800-B, PDL 800-D or PDL 828 'Sepia II' laser drivers from PicoQuant.
The LDH-P-FA-530 is a suitable excitation source for fluorescence measurements in the life sciences, where many popular fluorophores absorb in the green spectral range. Due to the gain-switching principle, the laser can be triggered externally and thus synchronised with other equipment in the experimental setup. This is not possible with other green pulsed lasers, which are mostly based on mode-locking principles. The compact and maintenance free design of the LDH-P-FA-530 also permits customers without laser experience to use this laser on a daily basis.