In booth#15-10 at Photonix 2014 in Tokyo, Japan (16-18 April), QD Laser Inc of Kanagawa, Japan has launched a picosecond pulsed driver board integrated with its QLD1x6x series 1μm-wavelength-range (1020-1180nm) 14-pin butterfly distributed feedback (DFB) laser modules. The new QC2D1x6x series driver board is designed to generate 50ps optical pulses with a stable single longitudinal mode.

Recently, many fiber lasers for micro-machining have adopted MOPA (master oscillator power amplifier) systems using directly modulated semiconductor seed lasers with pulses that are highly controllable in shape, width and repetition rate, says QD Laser. In particular, high-quality glazing and marking etc requires picosecond pulses to reduce heat effects on processed materials. The firm says that its QLD1x6x series DFB laser modules, which have a very short optical pulse of 50ps and stable single-mode oscillation, have gained widespread attention, but in addition pulsed driver boards are required to achieve stable, flexible and easy operation of the laser diodes.

Featuring stable 50ps optical pulse generation, a tunable pulse width up to 9ns and continuous-wave (CW) operation, the new QC2D1x6x series? can aid the design and development of picosecond fiber lasers, and is suitable for micro-machining, sensing and time-resolved measurement, says the firm. The main features of the new product are as follows:

peak optical output power of 100mW (typical) under 50ps operation; a tunable repetition rate of single shot to 250MHz; fine wavelength tuning through temperature control of the laser diode chips; flexible parameter control via a USB interface; and a single +5V power supply.

After providing engineering samples since second-half 2013, QD Laser plans to start mass production of the QC2D1x6x series in first-half 2014.