Product Portfolio
AMS Technologies' broad range of beam profilers includes various devices for beam analysis, beam position detection and control, and the precise alignment of the beam to a target point.

Our beam analyzers based on Si, InGaAs and UV-enhanced InGaAs detectors are suitable for analyzing laser beams in a wide spectral range from 200 nm to 2700 nm and with diameters between 0.5 µm and 45 mm. Analyzers for laser beams of high optical power (e.g. for material processing) allow the measurement of parameters such as beam profile and absolute power, but also M² or the exact position of the beam waist.

Laser beam positioning devices are available with different sensor heads such as CCD or PSD and allow the localization of an optical beam on a detector surface to within fractions of a micrometer, but also the measurement of the absolute optical power.

Our systems for optical and mechanical alignment of laser beams offer simultaneous measurement of the position and angle of the beam for different applications. This series of alignment solutions combine the principles of autocollimation with laser alignment to achieve both high angular measurement accuracy and accurate alignment across multiple axes of view with microradian resolution.

Related Products
Our beam profilers can be used for measuring our broad portfolio of lasers, ranging from DPSS lasers to diode lasers, fiber lasers, gas lasers to OPOs and tunable lasers, laser diodes and modules, as well as other lasers and light sources.

AMS Technologies’ portfolio of optical test and measurement solutions also includes equipment for measurements of fiber properties or passive optics and connectors, as well as interferometers, microscopes, OTDRs, spectrometers, spectrographs and spectroscopy cameras, but also integrating spheres, reflectance targets, fiber sensing equipment or light sources for measurements.

Tools for fiber optics processing, dispensing and curing of optical adhesives and cleaning of optical connector surfaces round off the AMS Technologies range of solutions around optical test, tools and measurement.

Definition
Not only for material processing lasers with high power is it of great importance for the application to know various parameters of the laser beam in detail. Beam profilers can be used to characterize laser beams very precisely. Based on optical sensor technology, these devices can create a distribution profile of the optical intensity across the cross-section of the laser beam, allowing users to determine not only the radius but also the exact shape of the beam.

A laser beam propagating through space has a different width and spatial intensity distribution along its propagation path that is continuously changing as a function of e.g. laser cavity, divergence, interaction with optical elements and electronics driver characteristics. The light intensity distribution across the beam profile is an important parameter that indicates how a laser beam will behave in an application and will dictate the overall system performance in a specific setup.

Although laser propagation can be predicted using theories, models and mathematics, in a real world it is crucial for researchers, system designers, and laser manufacturers to be able to measure these parameters accurately and with good spatial and temporal resolution.

Camera-based profilers use a two-dimensional mosaic array to instantly record and display the intensity distribution of an entire laser beam hitting the camera (CMOS or CCD) sensor’s surface. Maximum beam diameter as well as measurement resolution are limited by the camera sensor’s number of pixels and the pixel size. While rolling shutter cameras are less expensive and can be suitable for cw lasers with a stable beam over time, only camera-based profilers featuring a global shutter can measure pulsed laser beams.

Knife-edge, slit, and pinhole profilers use some type of aperture that is mechanically scanning across the beam to generate a profile. Due to the scanning technology, these profilers’ single photodetectors do not need a spatial resolution – so it is easier to use multiple sensors that are sensitive to the appropriate wavelengths. The scanning technology is advantageous for its wide dynamic range of beam diameters from a few µm up to several mm.

Beam Positioners: Although a laser beam propagates through space as a perfect line traveling from A to B, a real-world laser’s emitted position changes as a function of time, age, and atmospheric conditions. Although in most cases, this movement is only a fraction of a beam's diameter, it can cause problems in a long path. The basic technologies for measuring beam positioning are: quadrant detectors for centering and alignment, lateral-effects detectors for engineering measurements (deviation in microns), and dual-detector alignment systems that measures both beam positioning and angular deviation (critical for alignment of long-straight mechanical systems and articulated arms). For special applications, camera-based systems will simultaneously measure multiple beams, CW or pulsed.

Alignment Solutions: Lasers in high-performance applications, especially high-power CO2 laser systems for automotive industries, require high precision. Optical alignment technologies are used to achieve higher accuracies for mechanical alignment combined with higher power levels. Optical alignment solutions are based on electronic autocollimator technology, a high-precision instrument capable of measuring angular deviations with accuracy down to fractions of an arc-second. Laser analyzing autocollimators merging the autocollimation principles with beam analysis technology offer the capability to simultaneously measure a laser beam direction and divergence from the autocollimator’s optical axis and can be used in aligning a laser beam to its mirrors as well as the alignment of a laser cavity and laser rods.

Alternative Terms: Laser Beam Measurement System; Laser Beam Analyzer; Laser Beam Positioner; Optical Laser Beam Position Measurement; Alignment Solution; Alignment Sensing; Autocollimation; Beam Angle Measurement