LASER shines on in Munich

One of the world’s leading trade fairs to be devoted to all types of lasers and photonic technologies will once again fill the cavernous halls of Messe München in Germany. LASER World of PHOTONICS, which will take place on the rescheduled dates of 26–29 April 2022, will bring together more than 800 exhibitors to showcase the latest innovations in both industrial systems and scientific equipment.

Key industry sectors to be featured at the exhibition range from industrial manufacturing and quality control through to biophotonics and information processing. Parts of the main exhibition will be focused on sensors and measurement, and illumination and energy, while for the first time there will also be a dedicated World of QUANTUM event.

With the last event in the series taking place three years ago, there will be plenty of new innovations for delegates and exhibitors to discuss. A dedicated start-up pavilion will also enable newly formed companies to present their novel laser and photonics solutions to an international audience of industry insiders. Read on to find out more about some of the companies and product innovations that will be featured at the show.

Spectrometer combines speed with sensitivity

Ocean Insight will be debuting the all-new SR2 spectrometer, which combines high-speed spectral acquisition with best-in-class signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) performance. The Ocean SR2 spectrometer is ideally suited for applications such as laser characterization, plasma monitoring and absorbance measurements, which benefit from the excellent SNR (380:1) offered by the instrument. Combined with high speed – with integration times as low as 10 µs – the system can be used for many different applications without the trade-offs typical of comparable spectrometers.

The fully configurable spectrometer is produced using industry-leading manufacturing techniques, ensuring excellent thermal stability and minimal unit-to-unit variation. Pre-configured models are available with entrance-slit widths ranging from 5 to 200 µm, providing users with a range of options for optical resolution (FWHM) and signal throughput to meet the requirements of different experiments.

The Ocean SR2 spectrometer is compact and versatile, and is compatible with Ocean Insight’s range of light sources, accessories and software to enable users to configure their set-ups for different applications. Each SR2 instrument is supplied with OceanDirect, a powerful, cross-platform Software Developers Kit (SDK) that allows users to optimize spectrometer performance and access critical data for analysis. The software includes an Application Programming Interface (API) to offer maximum flexibility, while the SR2 is also compatible with OceanView, Ocean Insight’s powerful desktop spectroscopy application.

• Find out more about Ocean Insights’ full range of spectrometers and measurement solutions at booth 421 in Hall A6.

Timing generator ensures precise synchronization

EKSMA Optics is expanding its electro-optics and laser electronics product group and production capacity, with a move at the end of 2021 to a new facility with even more cleanroom space. At LASER World of PHOTONICS the company will be showcasing its experience in the design of electro-optic devices, ranging from a comprehensive selection of Pockels cells to complete laser-pulse picking systems. EKSMA’s continuing innovation aims to integrate different technologies into easy-to-use modulation and control instruments for laser applications.

One of the new additions is the timing generator TG10, designed to synchronize laser systems with other laser components such as detectors, laser-pulse pickers, and drivers for Pockels cells, laser diodes and flash lamps. The TG10 can create up to eight delayed output sequences precisely synchronized to its ultrastable internal or external clock. The TG10 also features a precise trigger output with an exceptionally low jitter of 3–5 ps, making it an ideal choice for high-speed acquisition systems such as streak-camera triggering.

EKSMA Optics will also present its uniLDD series of universal laser diode drivers, which are highly customizable and designed for easy OEM integration. At its core, the uniLDD is a DC input power converter that can supply a continuous current of up to 100 A or 360 A in pulsed, quasi-continuous wave mode, and it is compatible with single emitters, bars, stacked laser diodes and high-power VCSELs in constant current mode. These highly versatile devices are based on digital signal-processing technology and can be adapted for different laser diodes and modes of operation based on customers’ requirements.

• See EKSMA Optics’ full range of electro-optics and laser electronics products at Hall H5, booth number 353.

Femtosecond fibre lasers open up ultrafast applications

The acquisition of VALO Innovations by HÜBNER Photonics at the end of 2021 has added short-pulse femtosecond fibre lasers to its already diverse technology portfolio, which includes compact single-frequency CW lasers, diode-laser modules and nanosecond pulsed lasers across the full UV, visible and near-IR spectrum.

The fibre-laser technology developed by VALO Innovations offer market-leading short-pulse performance, with pulse lengths of less than 50 fs and peak powers above 2 MW from a compact and stable turn-key system. Combined with computer-controlled compensation for dispersion and other nonlinear effects, these ultrashort and ultrafast femtosecond fibre lasers will help new applications in bioimaging, spectroscopy and optogenetics.

“Ultrafast lasers represent a natural complement to the HÜBNER Photonics portfolio and VALO Innovations provides the ideal vehicle to fast-track that ambition,” comments Oliver Prochnow, CEO of VALO Innovations. “For the VALO Innovations team, meanwhile, we are now positioned to develop and scale our femtosecond fibre-laser offering within an established innovation and manufacturing ecosystem.”

Key applications for VALO’s fibre-laser technology include multiphoton microscopy for studying complex and dynamic biological processes deep within living tissue, optogenetics for controlling the activity of neurons or other cells using light, and amplifier seeding – in which femtosecond pulses can increase the energy of selected laser pulses by several orders of magnitude. Integrating the short-pulse sources into multiphoton microscopy or spectroscopy systems can yield a significantly higher peak power, which Prochnow says enables “greater signal efficiency, enhanced penetration depth in tissue, better contrast and reduced photothermal damage”.

• HÜBNER Photonics will be presenting its full technology portfolio at booth 421 in Hall B5.