Need a blue laser solution

Justin W · Post by **Justin W** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 12:57 pm

Howdy all,

If you're familiar with some of my recent posts, then you know I'm stuck on blue...

If you're not, here's my issue - I have a solid plan for doing some full-color work, but it hinges on me at some point in the future lasing with a deep blue laser - true blue - in the neighborhood of 450nm or so. My usual laser source - Dave B - has in the past been able to help my projects move forward by offering some really great deals on lasers and other holography equipment. He's the man to go to for a holography laser that you can afford. But even D-Train can't magically muster up a SLM deep blue laser with a nice long coherence length.

488nm seems to be as close as it gets for the type of laser I am familiar with. A DPSS unit that eats 5vdc and disgorges holography light is what I'm used to.

I'm willing to try new things, though. I understand there's a Casio laser diode that makes 445nm light... I've heard nothing about its ability to perform split-beam work, though. To my understanding, it'll do single-beam holography, but that doesn't tell me much. If anyone has any information on split-beam work with this Casio diode, I'm all ears.

What I'd love to find is an affordable solution that has me lasing in ~450nm blue with a nice long coherence length and light that either is or is able to be polarized so that a waveplate/polarizing beam splitter cube combo will act as a variable beam splitter.

Is there such an animal?

Thanks for any help, guys!

Ed Wesly · Post by **Ed Wesly** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 2:23 pm

I am pretty sure I saw something like what you desire at the Coherent booth at Photonics West. Might have to wait a few years before it is available as a surplus item.

BobH · Post by **BobH** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 6:48 pm

50mW of 445nm laser that'll nicely do a 4x5" Denisyuk hologram a few inches deep would be excellent for an RGB system using silver halide materials. Mate that with 30mw from a He-Ne and 50mW of 532nm and you should be doin' fine.

Justin W · Post by **Justin W** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 7:15 pm

Hi Bob. Agreed. Can you recommend a source of of 445nm light? Are you talking about the Casio Diode? A few inches of coherence length should do fine for my purposes; I'm focusing on stereography here in my upcoming project and a sheet of frosted glass sure ain't the deepest hologram ever attempted... I'm prepared to go ahead and get good n' careful on my pathlengths. I just need authentic blue light without mode hops.

Ed - I sure do look forward to seeing the laser of which you speak.

Ed Wesly · Post by **Ed Wesly** » Wed Mar 16, 2011 7:05 am

Poke around starting here:

http://www.coherent.com/Products/index. ... ire-Lasers

Tom B. · Post by **Tom B.** » Sat Mar 26, 2011 11:45 pm

Klastech has some attractive looking SLM blue lasers but I have not yet worked up the nerve to ask for a quote:

http://www.klastech.com/index.html

Jeffrey Weil · Post by **Jeffrey Weil** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 9:50 am

Hey,

I've been talking to these guys for a while. Always a new due date for production and that date is always right around the corner. It's like every month they put a new date 3 weeks ahead. no real price yet. It's vapor ware for right now. Ask them about the higher power models and all you get is, ah....ooh....well...let me ask the engineers, etc....

Same thing with the other companies promising a He/Cd replacement. I did get a quote for 100,000 for 200 mw from one company but any other questions were answered with the ah, oh, well, let me ask the sales people....I thought I WAS talking with the sales people.

I stopped asking them about the laser a few months ago so things could have changed but I think for right now these are just tools for digging up venture capital. Not for actually producing light.

Jeffrey Weil
NorthBeach Holography Inc.

Sergio · Post by **Sergio** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 6:09 pm

For coherent laser they say: As a result, the typical bandwidth of a Sapphire laser is 0.1 - 0.2 nm.

Newport Spectra-Physics Excelsior at 488nm is guaranteed single longitudinal mode...

djm · Post by **djm** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 8:42 pm

The Swedish company Cobolt is selling blue SLM lasers.
http://www.cobolt.se/

Justin W · Post by **Justin W** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 10:11 pm

Oooooo.

I want a Twist. I'm not going to be able to afford that laser, am I?