FQCW266-100

The FQCW266 series DPSS UV lasers provide up to 1.2 W real continuous wave (CW) output power at a wavelength of 266 nm in single-mode operation. Compared to other CW lasers at 266 nm, the FQCW266 systems feature an outstanding power stability of < 0.3 % rms, excellent beam properties with M² <1.3, and a long coherence length of more than 1000 m, corresponding to a narrow linewidth of less than 300 kHz. The central wavelength is set to 266.0 +/- 0.2 nm. Tighter wavelength tolerances are available on request. The lasers can be adjusted between 10 % and 110 % of the nominal output power via the laser control software. They are supplied with a control unit that allows either push-button control or remote control via a serial interface (RS232 and USB).

Due to the superior quality of the used UV optics and nonlinear crystals, the FQCW266 lasers require low maintenance and come with long service intervals. The lasers are sealed in air tight housings avoiding contamination and allowing hands-free operation in a wide range of environmental conditions. They are conduction cooled via the laser head base plate without any need for chillers or fans.

Like this, the lasers are perfectly suited for industrial 24/7 operation and demanding scientific applications.

The applications for the FQCW266 series lasers are highly dependent on the output power. While models with 10 mW and 25 mW are commonly used for basic research and alignment tasks, medium power units with 50 mW to 200 mW output power are mainly used in more sophisticated metrology and spectroscopy applications, like absorption and waveform distortion measurements on UV optics, UV Raman spectroscopy, and photoluminescence. Finally the industrial grade high power lasers with 300 mW to 1.2 W output power are designed for and widely used in 24/7 applications like semiconductor wafer inspection.

In lasers with a nominal output power of 50 mW or more, the critical nonlinear crystal generating the UV radiation is mounted on an automatic crystal shifter (ACS). This shifter allows moving the nonlinear crystal to a fresh spot once the conversion properties of the crystal have degraded after longer times of operation. Typical spot lifetimes are 2000 operating hours for 300 mW to 1.2 W models with at least 12 spots on the nonlinear crystal accessible by the crystal shifter. The ACS is an effective solution to increase the lifetime of the UV lasers and lower the service demand.

The FQCW lasers are fully sealed and do not require purging by Nitrogen or CDA (clean dry air). Only the output window and external shutter assembly of the 300 mW to 1.2 W models require a simple CDA or Nitrogen purge source to avoid external contamination of the UV optics.

Unique features of the FQCW266 laser family are:

• Excellent power stability of < 0.3 % rms
• Single frequency operation with narrow linewidth < 300 kHz
• Long coherence length > 1000 m
• Excellent beam quality with M² < 1.3
• Output power adjustable from 10% to 110% of the nominal output power
• Closed-loop power regulation with plenty of reserve for long operation without power degradation
• Integrated automatic UV crystal shifter (ACS) for higher power models
• Long service intervals and low maintenance demand
• Sealed laser housing for hands free operation
• No water cooling required, conduction cooling and air cooling for higher power versions
• Warm-up time <30 min
• 24/7 operation approved by OEM customers in the semiconductor industry
• Low operating cost