My first DPSS laser(s) and first troubles (as usually) :-)

Two green pictures are illuminated only by DPSS laser (light bounced from ceiling).



* (May, 22. 2005.) *

Picture is captured by camera with setting ISO-100, F/2, 2 sec. Corrected in Photoshop
(intensified brightness, cropped and resized).

32 mW (left) and 5 mW (right)


Picture is captured by camera with setting ISO-100, F/2.2, 5 sec. Corrected in Photoshop (intensified brightness, cropped and resized).

No fog, no smoke, just dust in air.
*32 mW*


Picture is captured by camera with setting ISO-100, F/8, 1/5 sec. Corrected in Photoshop (only cropped and resized).

Focused 32 mW beam on CD box make small amount of smoke.
*32 mW*



* (May, 24. 2005.) *

Picture is captured by camera with setting ISO-100, F/2.4, 15 sec. Corrected in Photoshop (only resized).

Big building (zoomed) is more than 2 km far from my window (04:24 AM)
*32 mW*


Picture is captured by camera with setting ISO-100, F/2.4, 15 sec. Corrected in Photoshop (only resized).

White building zoomed at distance more than 2 km from my window (04:29 AM)
*32 mW*


Picture is captured by camera with setting ISO-100, F/2, 15 sec. Corrected in Photoshop (brightness down because overexposed).

White building is more than 2 km far from my window (04:31 AM) *32 mW*



Picture is captured by camera with setting ISO-100, F/5, 1/100 sec. Corrected in Photoshop (only resized).


Close look of "target" white building. (08:02 AM)


Picture is captured by camera with setting ISO-100, F/5, 1/60 sec. Corrected in Photoshop (only cropped and resized).

My house. Picture is taken from "target" place. Combined binocular and camera zoom. 5 mW laser with removed collimating lens.
Picture is stressed because tripod is not used. (08:00 AM)
*5 mW*



* (May, 27. 2005.) *

Picture is captured by camera with setting ISO-100, F/3.2, 2.5 sec. Corrected in Photoshop (only cropped and resized).

Green marble???  NO!!!  Green DPSS laser bouncing from ceiling produce this effect on my keyboard. * 32 mW *



* (June, 7. 2005.) *

Seems to me that I'm damage my 32 mW DPSS.... (picture before damage: May, 22. 2005.)



Today's picture (June, 7. 2005.). It is obviously that is beam is much weaker. Oh, no!


Conclusion: I was cautioned that this laser need fan cooled heat sink for longer operation, but I was
thinking that I'm always run shorter than this "critical" "longer operation". Wrong!
(note: camera has equally setting like before)



* (July, 9. 2005.) *

My green DPSS is repaired!

Now, let me explain what was wrong with my green DPSS laser; honestly, first day when laser arrive to me, in one wrong maneuver with wires, laser felt down to floor. In this moment, I was not noticed anything strange with this laser. Later, I saw laser has less power than before, but when power began fade, I don't know. I was not suspect that something is broken inside laser, so only reason can be overheating because not use fan cooled heat sink, and maybe 808 nm laser diode is burned, or somehow work with less power.

Tonight collected enough courage and unscrew laser diode housing and inspect inside what can be wrong. Almost immediately saw one crack on 808 nm focusing lens (from LD to Nd:YVO4 crystal). Next picture show how it looks now:
 

Reason why output laser beam is much weaker than before is in fact that 808 nm laser diode is no more good focused onto Nd:YVO4 crystal, and thus can't reach enough power per square area. (This is maybe because this lens is little angled or moved closest or far from LD, so 808 nm laser spot is wider than usual, and thus power is spread to wide area instead to narrow spot to achieve maximum power.)

How looks crystal inside, captured with digital camera from output coupler side of laser (it's very hard job because camera lens is too big, and output coupler is too small, so go figure how to make picture.):
It looks exactly like "Casix" composite (DPM; Diode-Pumped Microchip) Nd:YVO4/KTP crystal inside! Look at Casix page and you will easy notice similarity (I hope). 


At two pictures above it is evident that output coupler from laser diode, and photodiode in background (barely visible green square element) are in good "cosmetic" condition. Diode has designation "4k3220-640", and I can't find on internet any data about this diode. Only know that body is 9 mm dia (maybe 250 - 300 mW @ 808 nm).

So, how I was "repair" this laser; simple — just screw back laser diode, and fortunately, broken lens settled in place like were before drop on floor. (no more angled or misaligned). Only few times was move diode clockwise and counter clockwise to avoid crack area which cause green artifact around main beam.
 



One look of 808 nm diode directly into digital photo camera. Note: I was turn pot little above lasing threshold to avoid damage of CCD sensor inside camera and my eyes as well. Also, by naked eye is quite visible deep red, not purple like at picture (I'm able to see also 950 nm LED from remote controller, but with adapted eyes in dark room.).
 

Date: July, 8th, 2005.