DEBUNKING COMMON 7 MYTHS ABOUT LASER OPTICS!
MYTH NO. 1: OPTICAL COMPONENTS AND COATINGS DON’T LOSE PERFORMANCE OVER TIME
Debunking: In laser system (especially high energy systems), optical components will eventually suffer from degradation. This is usually coating damage (due to long continues exposure, or just a few (maybe one) high energy pulse), substrate deformation (caused by incorrect mounting) and just prolonged exposure to environment, or just laser itself. Even when stored on the shelf and not in use, optical components start to deteriorate due to such factors like contamination or moisture. Proper periodic inspection in house or at using Alien Photonics metrology services is necessary if you want to be sure about component quality.
Alien Photonics suggest IBS coated mirrors which are specifically designed, not only to be high reflective and resistant to laser energy, but they are physically harder and more durable.
MYTH NO. 2: ALL OPTICAL COMPONENTS ARE EXPENSIVE
Debunking: Custom and high complexity optical components can be more expensive than their standard time-tested rivals (e.g. spherical plano-convex lens are cheaper than aspherical, e-beam coated mirrors are less expensive than IBS or MS sputtered mirrors).
Alien Photonics solution for this – our special request form where you can check the last price for smallest optimal quantity (usually ~5 pieces)
MYTH NO. 3: LASER OPTICS ALREADY REACHED ITS TECHNOLOGICAL PEAK
Debunking: New materials, fabrication, coating methods and theoretical developments pushes laser optics field to continuously evolve and find new applications. E.g standard polarizing Beam Splitter (PBS) cubes and true zero order waveplates are widely used in newest technologies, such as polarization-sensitive systems and quantum computing.
MYTH 4: OPTICAL ABERRATIONS IN LASER SYSTEMS ARE NEGLIGIBLE AND CAN BE EASILY CORRECTED
Debunking: It is actually can be a quite complex task to correct optical aberrations, especially in high precision and complex design laser systems. These corrections are not just about curvature of lens, but additionally involves deep understanding of wavefront distortions. If you replace your spherical lens with Alien Photonics aspherical lens, you can expect to remove spherical aberrations. Non-spherical surface makes these lenses ideal for high quality focusing or imaging for advanced optical systems.
MYTH 5: LASER BEAMS CAN BE INSTANTLY TRANSFORMED INTO POLARIZATION-PERFECT STATES WITH A SINGLE WAVEPLATE
Debunking: Achieving good polarization transformation usually involves precision alignment of a set (combination) of waveplates in specific sequence and orientation. Alien Photonics wide selection of half wave plates, quarter wave plates with various options for order from [True Zero order ultra-thin waveplates(/products/true-zero-order-tzo-waveplates-half-and-quarter-wave-plates) to multiple order, achromatic, dual-wavelength waveplates will help you out with your polarization changing optical setup.
MYTH 6: ALL OPTICAL COMPONENTS CAN BE CLEANED WITH SAME METHODS
Debunking: Due to different substrate materials (UV-VIS-NIR or Infrared, coating materials (and coating technologies) it is necessary to choose cleaning agent and method to avoid damaging optical component. Check with Alien Photonics if there are any special cleaning guidelines for your optics!
MYTH 7: ALL OPTICAL COMPONENTS ARE COMPATIBLE WITH ULTRAFAST LASERS
Debunking: Ultrafast lasers (e.g. femtosecond lasers) have specific requirements for optical components because of the sensitivity to dispersion effects. Alien Photonics offers Metallic mirrors (Gold, Aluminum, Silver) as component for mitigating these effects or alternatively inquire us on custom single-band or dual-band mirrors with low GDD, for more demanding applications.