The innovations of the new 1550 nm pulsed laser diode (PLD) can be summed up in two points. For one, systems into which this PLD has been integrated still fall under laser safety class 1 and 2, the wavelength is not visible with standard night vision equipment.
The tested and proven technology of the 905 nm PLDs was used in the new 1550 nm pulsed laser diodes manufactured by LASER COMPONENTS Canada. A laser diode chip contains several epitaxially integrated emitters. With two emitters the new 155G1S2J02x achieves an output power of 5 W @ 150 ns, dc = 0.1% at an emitter size of only 50 µm x 7 µm, making it the perfect match for our 80 µm InGaAs APD. At shorter pulse lengths the optical peak power can be overdriven accordingly. Future developments will include a 150 µm emitter width to match our 200 µm InGaAs APD. The 1550 nm pulsed laser diodes are best suited for use in military laser rangefinders and identification friend or foe (IFF) systems.
The extremely reliable base material used in PLDs is InGaAsP, which is also applied in industrial scanners. The wide operating temperature range from -45°C to +85°C and the excellent temperature stability guarantee a wide measuring range also in warmer regions. To exhaust all technical advantages of PLD chips, they are integrated into a hermetically sealed TO housing. This ensures a high degree of reliability, the ability to overdrive, and a very precise chip position in the housing.
