Types of Lasers and their Applications

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Types of Lasers and their Applications
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Have you wondered how the things around us are
made? Most of them are the result of laser
system operations. From industrial uses like
cutting, marking, and welding to medical
applications like scanning, precision tool
manufacturing, and the luxury industry for
finishing and imprinting, laser applications
extend as far as possible. So, does every
industry use the same type of laser? No, there
are multiple types of laser with a wide range of
applications. Brands like Prima spare parts and
Bystronic parts provide components based on
their type. Here are some commonly used laser
techniques. 1. Gas Lasers In a gas laser, an
electric current discharges through a gas to
produce coherent light. As they convert
electrical energy to light laser output, they
were the first continuous laser. The first gas
laser was introduced in 1960 when
Iranian-American physicists Ali Javan and William
R. Bennet invented the Helium-Neon laser (He-Ne).
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• Due to low cost and high coherence, he-Ne lasers
  are used in optical research and educational
  labs. C02 lasers have the capacity to emit 100
  watts in one spatial mode. Hence, they are used
  for cutting and welding.
• Chemical Lasers
• Chemical lasers generate energy through chemical
  reactions. They emit radiation and thus serve
  best in the military. However, when combined
  with gases, they prove helpful for various
  industrial applications too. For example, a high
  power COIL transmitted by fused silica-fiber
  optics can be used for cutting and welding.
• The chemical reaction used in the lasers is based
  on the excitement of HF and DF molecules.
• Excimer Lasers
• An excimer laser, also known as exciplex laser,
  is a form of an ultraviolet laser. Here, the
  laser technology uses a particular gas laser
  driven by an electric charge, where the lasing
  medium is excimer. Excimers are the molecules
  that exist with an atom in an excited electronic
  state. These lasers operate at a wavelength of
  ultraviolet and are used to produce
  microelectronic devices, semiconductor based
  circuits, eye surgery, micromachining, etc.

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• Solid State Lasers
• A solid state laser uses a solid medium rather
  than liquid as in dye laser or gas in gas laser.
  It uses glass or crystalline rod that is doped
  with ions, providing energy states. It is used
  for developing defense equipment.
• The common type of solid state laser is neodymium
  laser. Note that semiconductor-based lasers are
  in the solid state, but they are of different
  classes.
• Fiber Lasers
• The most commonly used laser for industrial
  applications such as cladding, cutting,
  engraving, marking, hardening, and welding is a
  fiber laser. Here, the guided medium for total
  internal reflection is an optical fiber. As
  light travels a long distance, it provides
  cooling conditions. The high surface-to-volume
  ratio increases the cooling effect.
• Fiber lasers have an expected life of 100,000
  hours, which is typically 45 years of use.
  Hence, they make the best choice for industrial
  purposes. Also, brands like Bystronic provide
  high-quality Bystronic parts to increase the
  lasers life span.

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6. Free Electron Lasers Free electrons, as the
name says, are not bound to molecules or atoms.
They use a relativistic electron beam and cover a
wide range of wavelengths from microwaves to
infrared and X-rays. As the electrons are free
of state, they have a broad range of
wavelengths. Types of Laser Operations Though
there are multiple types of lasers, they operate
in 2 different forms - continuous wave operation
and pulsed operation. In continuous-wave
operation, the beam imparts power for an extended
period of time. Pulse operations, on the
contrary, provide an optical power in pulses,
repeated over time. They are customized for time
frame output power. By this, we hope that you
have got an idea about the laser types. In the
following article, lets learn how laser
technology impacts our daily life. Source
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