An Apparatus For Wide Range Feedback Control Of ND:YAG Laser Pulse Energy

J. A. Penkethman

doi:10.1117/12.967427

1 January 1987 An Apparatus For Wide Range Feedback Control Of ND:YAG Laser Pulse Energy

J. A. Penkethman

Proceedings Volume 0817, Optomechanical Systems Engineering; (1987) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.967427
Event: 31st Annual Technical Symposium on Optical and Optoelectronic Applied Sciences and Engineering, 1987, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

The ARACOR Model 4100XPL semiconductor test instrument delivers a train of Nd:YAG Q-Switched laser pulses at 10 Hz whose energies are selectable over 5 orders of magnitude by user data entry. Each pulse has the same energy within 5%. To achieve this, a feedback controlled beam attenuator module was designed with a bandwidth of about 1 Hertz. The beam is thereby also stabilized against thermal drift and performance degradation of the laser. A microprocessor monitors the beam energy via a Brewster window pick-off, photodiode and related electronics. This feedback is then used to position the beam attenuator module. Excellent control is achieved without adding noticeably to the normal pulse to pulse variations of the laser via a control law which avoids excessive servoing about the desired pulse energy.

Citation Download Citation

J. A. Penkethman "An Apparatus For Wide Range Feedback Control Of ND:YAG Laser Pulse Energy", Proc. SPIE 0817, Optomechanical Systems Engineering, (1 January 1987); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.967427

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