Product category:
Lasers
News Release from: Hitachi Europe | Subject: MARU Beam Series
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 28 June 2001
Circular beam is a bonus for red laser
diodes
Hitachi has announced the MARU Beam Series of red laser diodes which offers the world's first circular beam with a 1.2 (typical) aspect ratio in the 635nm wavelength band.
Hitachi has announced the MARU Beam Series of red laser diodes which offers the world's first circular beam with a 1.2 (typical) aspect ratio in the 635nm wavelength band The first products in this new series are the HL6335G and HL6340MG, which use 9 and 5.6mm packages with 5mW optical outputs, respectively
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 16 Feb 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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The move from an elliptical beam to a new circular beam with a 1.2 (typical) aspect ratio enables the beam-forming mechanism in laser application products, such as straight line laser levellers, laser markers and equipment with a built-in laser sensor, to be simplified.
It also facilitates a higher efficiency connection to an optical fibre in optical fibre checkers.
At 25mA (typical), the operating current of the HL6335G and HL6340MG series is also approximately 40% lower than that of Hitachi's previous low operating current type products.
This is one of the world's lowest current dissipations for 635nm band devices and enables the series to offer an extended battery life in the same applications as current Hitachi models.
To achieve a circular beam with a 1.2 (typical) aspect (or beam divergence) ratio, the series uses a self-aligned refractive index (SRI) structure developed by Hitachi, together with optimised structural parameters such as active layer thickness and end-face reflectance ratio.
This new aspect ratio compares with figures of 3.5 to 4.0 in current 635nm band devices and 1.0 for an ideal beam.
Most laser application products require a lens with a large aperture or a large angle of light capture to compensate for this beam divergence.
They also need a cylindrical lens to form a circular beam from the elliptical beam of the laser diode.
Eliminating these components from an optical system reduces the number of parts and simplifies its design.
The low operating current of the series is also achieved though the SRI structure and by optimising the strained multi-quantum well (MQW) structure.
The series operates at a temperature of 50C and the 9 and 5.6mm packages provide efficient heat radiation that enables the same heat radiation design of previous Hitachi models to be used.
It also simplifies mounting design.
Sample shipments of the HL6335G series will begin in July 2001.
Shipments of the HL6340MG series will begin in August 2001.
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