LaserCam HR™ InGaAs Near Infrared Laser Beam Profiler
A Infrared InGaAs focal plane array profiler with USB interface
The Coherent LaserCam HR™ InGaAs laser beam profiler provides measurements of near infrared lasers in the 900-1700nm wavelength range. What sets the LaserCam apart is its compact size and convenient USB connection to a PC. Unlike bulky, previous generation cameras, the LaserCam's compact 50 x 50 x 68mm package means in can get into places which lesser cameras simply couldn't fit. The USB 2.0 interface is truly plug-and-play and there's no need to install dedicated interface cards in the computer.
» Download LaserCam HR InGaAs Datasheet
The LaserCam InGaAs Camera
The LaserCam HR head is based upon an uncooled InGaAs focal plane array detector with 320 x 256 pixels and a 1000:1 signal to noise ratio . Accuracy is assured through the use of Coherent's adaptive pixel technology (CAPT) which performs pixel by pixel offset, linearity and blemish correction. USB 2.0 connectivity assures compatibility with virtually all new computers, including laptops. The LaserCam HR InGaAs features a C-mount adaptor which allows it to be used with the full range of Coherent laser beam profiler accessories and beam attenuators.
BeamView USB Software
LaserCam HR is controlled from Coherent's BeamView™ USB application software for PCs. BeamView is the laser beam profiling application which rival manufacturers seek to emulate. BeamView provides real-time cross-sectional as well as 2D and 3D profiles which facilitates laser system tuning and optimisation. The beam parameters reported include beam position (centroid and peak location), beam size and shape (diameter and ellipticity), far-field data (divergence, pointing and bore-sighting), mode structure (uniformity and fit to Gaussian) as well as the beam power and power density (or energy and energy density for pulsed lasers). Statistical parameters reported include the mean, maximum, minimum and standard deviation for the beam parameters and beam wander. The software accomodates datalogging, supports pass/fail type reporting and can output an alarm for beam parameters that are out of range.
The Latest Updates to BeamView™ USB Software (Version 4.4.0)
BeamView-USB software version 4.4.0 now features:
- BeamView USB software ships with a LabVIEW virtual instrument (VI) library.
- TC/IP (ethernet) as well as RS232 communications are now supported for remote control of the profiler.
- A user-programmable trigger delay is provided to simplify the synchronisation of the laser to the profiler.
- Images from the BeamView software can now be saved in the standard 16-bit PNG greyscale format.
- It is now possible to connect up to 8 LaserCam HR profilers to the same PC.
- Flat-top beam analysis tools are now included.
- Built-in report generation capability.
- Support for Windows™ Vista (32-bit) operating system.
Flexible Control
LabVIEW Drivers are now available for the LaserCam-HR. An extensive library of LabVIEW Virtual Instruments (VI) is supplied with the latest release of BeamView USB laser beam profiling software. This enhancement will allow direct control of virtually all BeamView functions using National Instruments’ LabVIEW software, versions 7.1 through 8.2. BeamView USB can be automated to run remotely through a LabVIEW environment by selecting any of the VI libraries. An Applications Note explaining how to configure BeamView with LabVIEW and a "Getting Started" section detailing how to get connected by using RS232 or TC/IP communication protocols is included on the installation CD.
BeamView USB now has the ability to communicate either directly by RS232 or remotely through TC/IP (ethernet) protocol. For the first time, you can control the LaserCam HR from a remote location. A user-programmable trigger delay now allows users greater flexibility when synchronising the timing of the laser pulse with the frame integration of the LaserCam HR profiler. For pulsed laser applications that do not have a convenient trigger source available, or if the pulses are infrequent, the AutoTrigger pulse capture capability has been restored with the latest BeamView software release. The AutoTrigger mode captures the laser image by simply selecting a user-selectable intensity level captured from the intensity level of the LaserCam HR.
The flexibility of BeamView USB has been enhanced with the ability to connect up to eight LaserCam HR cameras at the same time, to the same PC. In addition, the software incorporates a "Background Map" subtraction feature which results in a better consistency between each of the cameras connected to the computer.
A Pass/Fail TTL hardware output is now available in the BeamView USB software package. By adding a second cable to the existing trigger-in connection, users can now select a high or low TTL voltage level output as a fault action associated with any of the available BeamView USB calculations.
LaserCam HR InGaAs Specifications
| Sensor Type | InGaAs focal plane array, 320 x 256 pixels |
| Pixel Spacing | 30 x 30µm |
| Sensor Active Area | 9.6 x 7.7mm |
| Spectral Range | 900-1700nm (400-1100nm with LDFP) |
| Window | Removable Low Distortion Face Plate (LDFP) Face plate is an NG11 filter with OD 2.3 |
| Native Dynamic Range | 10-bits (1,024 grey levels) |
| Interface | USB 2.0 |
| Modes of Operation | CW & pulsed |
| Trigger Input | TTL. rising or falling edge |
| Maximum Frame Rate | 25Hz (live video, without calcuations) 15Hz (with calculations) |
| Beam Size | 0.5-6.0mm |
| CW Saturation Irradiance | 1064nm: 3.5mW/cm2 with LDFP, 50µJ/cm2 without LDFP 1523nm: 350µW/cm2 with LDFP, 30µJ/cm2 without LDFP |
| Pulsed Saturation Irradiance | 1064nm: 5µJ/cm2 with LDFP, 0.08µJ/cm2 without LDFP |
| Exposure Time | Adjustable, 20µs-10ms |
| Lens Adaptor | Accepts C-mount accessories |
| Damage Threshold | 1064nm: 0.4µJ/cm2 without LDFP |
| Dimensions | 50 x 50 x 68mm |
| Weight | 232g (345g with USB & trigger-in cables) |
BeamView USB Analyser PC Software Specifications
| Measurement Capabilities | Centroid & peak locations Pointing stability Beam width / diameter Divergence Fit to Gaussian Elipticity Uniformity |
| Beam Width Calculations | Multiple, including ISO standard D4 Sigma |
| Flat Top Beam Analysis | Beam uniformity Plateau uniformity Flatness factor Edge sharpness, Effective irradiation area Effective average power density |
| Displays | 2D, 3D, choice of 4 colours |
| Datalogging | For long term stability analysis |
| Data File Formats | ATS, PNG, Binary, ASCII, Bitmap, JPEG and many more |
| Report Generation | |
| Operating System Compatibility | Windows XP (SP2 or later), Vista (SP1) |
| Pass / Fail Analysis | Of all measurement parameters |
| Statistical Analysis | Of all measurement parameters |
| Background Noise Level Monitoring | Alerts user when background correction is invalid |
| Supervisor Access | Password protected configuration |
| Automated Apertures | Displays calculated beam dimensions |
| User-Defined Apertures | Performs "power in bucket" calculations |
| Cursors | Displays centroid, comparitive and fit data |
| Crosshair | Defines bore-sighting central axis |
| Total Power or Energy | Calibrated with a separate power or energy meter |
| Other Features | On-line help guide Hot function keys Graphical pan & zoom |
| Min PC Specifications | Windows XP, P4 2GHz (3.3GHz recommended), 512MB RAM, USB 2.0, CD ROM drive |
What's Included?
| Part Number | Description |
| 1149002 |
LaserCam HR InGaAs camera |