Battery-powered diode-pumped solid-state laser produces four watts of green output
A compact diode-pumped frequency-doubled Nd:YVO4 laser that emits u¥to 4-W continuous wave (CW) output at 532 nm has been developed by Light Solutions Corp. (LSC; Mountain View, CA). Originally designed for the US Army, the device is intended to be weapon-mounted and is enclosed in a 3 ¥ 1 ¥ 5-in. package powered by a torpedo battery, "which is about the size of a standard D cell but with a higher current capability," says LSC president Larry Marshall. Potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) supplied by Crystal Associates (East Hanover, NJ) is noncritically phase-matched and results in high doubling efficiency. According to Marshall, the overall diode-laser output to green conversion efficiency is about 30%. The small size was possible because of the laser`s high efficiency and low duty cycle--two minutes on, two minutes off--which eliminates the need for active cooling of any kind, including heat-sinking. Battery power lasts about 20 min. A nonbattery-operated version of the laser has been introduced for dermatology by Iriderm (Mountain View, CA). Brad Renton of Iriderm said, "The Diolite 532 is the smallest and most portable laser ever introduced for treating pigmented lesions."