LaserCam HR™ InGaAs Laser Beam Profiler

Coherent LaserCam HR InGaAs Laser beam Profiler

THIS IS PRELIMINARY INFORMATION

A Infrared InGaAs focal plane array profiler with USB interface

The Coherent LaserCam HR™ InGaAs laser beam profiler combines the speed and ease of use of a USB 2.0 computer interface with the power of BeamView Analyzer PC beam diagnostic software. The LaserCam HR head is based upon an uncooled InGaAs focal plane array detector with 320 x 256 pixels to provide convenient measurements of IR lasers in thye 900-1700nm wavelength range. A single interface cable that carries both signal and power on the same wire makes camera placement a snap. USB 2.0 connectivity assures compatibility with virtually all new computers, including laptops. 

» Download LaserCam HR InGaAs Datasheet (pending)

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.

BeamView Software Screen Images

The latest version of BeamView can capture 10-bit laser beam images that can be saved in the standard 16-bit PNG grayscale format. With this added feature it is now possible to share data without any loss of resolution in an industry-standard, web-compatible file format.
 

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 4.3.1 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 4.3.1 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.

LaserCam HR InGaAs Specifications (Preliminary)

Sensor Type InGaAs focal plane array, 320 x 256 pixels
Pixel Spacing 30 x 30µm
Sesnor Active Area 9.6 x 7.7mm
Spectral Range 900-1700nm
Window Removable Low Distortion Face Plate (LDFP)
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)
1Hz (with calculations)
CW Saturation Irradiance 1064nm: 3.5mW/cm2 with LDFP
Pulsed Saturation Irradiance 1064nm: 0.08µJ/cm2 with LDFP
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
Displays 2D, 3D, choice of 4 colours
Datalogging For long term stability analysis
Data File Formats Binary, ASCII, bitmap, JPEG, JIF, PNG
Operating System Compatibility Windows XP (SP1 or later)
Pass / Fail Analysis Of all measurement parameters
Statistical Analysis Of all measurement parameters
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

Ordering Information

Part No. Description
TBA LaserCam HR InGaAs camera
CD (containing BeamView USB 4.3.1 application software and LabView Virtual Instruments)
USB cable
Trigger Cable
LaserCam HR Optional Accessories
1086828 Metric (M6) rotational camera mount