INTRODUCTION TO LASERS

TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION
SCARSDALE MIDDLE SCHOOL
 Many of the pictures for
this “LASER” presentation came
from www.howstuffworks.com.

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 LASER
• Originally LASER was an acronym for Light
Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of
Radiation.

• Now laser is a word used to identify this type

of equipment or the light it produces.

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 The Atom

Different electron orbits represent different energy levels.

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 The Electron

Applying energy to an electron causes it to jump

to a higher orbit.

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 The Photon

When the electron drops back to its original orbit it

releases a particle called a photon. Light is made up
of photons.
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 Wavelength of Light

Light moves in waves that are similar

to ripples in water.

Light is an example of electromagnetic radiation: It doesn’t

require a medium to pass through

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 Wavelength of Light
1 CYCLE

Wavelength (): The distance the wave travels

in one cycle.
Frequency (f): The number of times a cycle
repeats in one second (Hertz,
formerley cycles/second).
c
=
f
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Wavelength of Light
HERTZ  ENERGY
~ 400 nanometers
H
I
G
H L
E E
R S
S
F
R
E
E N
Q E
U R
E G
Y
N
C
Y
~ 700 nanometers

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1 NANOMETER IS ONE BILLIONTH OF A METER

A human hair is about 80,000

nanometers in diameter.

That’s about 115 times the

wavelength () of red light.

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 Light Bulb
Light is not focused
Light is made up of many colors (wavelengths)
Light is not coherent

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White Light
Light From A
Light Bulb
•All colors
(wavelengths).
•More longer
wavelengths.
•Light is not
coherent.
•Light is not
focused.

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 Laser Light
Light is very focused
Light is made up of one color (wavelength)
Light is coherent

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Laser Light
Light From A
Laser

•One color
(wavelength).

•Light is
coherent.

•Light is focused.

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Theodore Maiman
First Ruby Laser
1960

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 MIRROR
How a Laser Works
MANY PHOTONS ARE REFLECTED
BACK AND FORTH BY THE MIRRORS
AT EACH END OF THE ROD.

MIRROR
SLIT

PHOTONS FROM EXTERNAL

SOURCE STRIKE ATOMS
ATOMS RELEASE MORE PHOTONS
IN THE ROD.
(STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION)
WHICH STRIKE OTHER ATOMS CONTINUING
PHOTONS THE PROCESS (AMPLIFICATION).
COHERENT, FOCUSED PHOTONS
ATOM
LEAVE THE ROD THROUGH A SLIT
IN THE MIRROR.

LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY THE STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION

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Ruby Laser

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 Types of Lasers
Based on the Material Used in the Laser

Classes of Lasers
Based on the Biological Damage the Laser
Can Cause

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Typical Lasers and Their Emission Wavelengths
Laser Type Wavelength (nm)
•Argon fluoride (UV) 193
•Krypton fluoride (UV) 248
•Nitrogen (UV) 337
•Argon (blue) 488
•Argon (green) 514
•Helium neon (green) 543
•Helium neon (red) 633
•Rhodamine 6G dye (tunable) 570 - 650
•Ruby (CrAlO3) (red) 694
•Nd:Yag (NIR) 1064
•Carbon dioxide (FIR) 10600

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 Optical Damage Threshold Test
NASA Research Center

The Optical Damage Threshold test station at NASA Langley

Research Center has three lasers: a high-energy pulsed ND:Yag laser,
a Ti:sapphire laser and an alignment HeNe laser.
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 Classes of Lasers
Based on the Biological Damage the Laser Can
Cause
Class I: Lasers that don’t produce any harmful
radiation.
Class II: Lasers that are harmful if viewed for
long periods of time. (The assumption is
that people wouldn’t let this happen.)
Class III: Lasers that are dangerous for short
exposure. (Many laser pointers are class
III lasers!)
Class IV: Lasers that can blind or burn after a very
brief exposure. These can only be used
under very controlled conditions.
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 LASER WEAPONS
“Do you expect me to talk Goldfinger?”
“No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die.”

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Laser Gun Sights

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Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System
MILES (2000)
“Laser Tag” for Soldiers

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Laser Targeting System
Aircraft Mounted

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Laser Guided Bomb
(“Smart” Bomb)

Control surfaces

Guidance system

Optical sensor

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 Laser Targeting

2. Laser guided 1. Laser targeting

weapon tracks system “paints”
laser spot on target.
target.

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Laser Targeting System
Ground Based

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 Laser Targeting Countermeasures
AN/VVR-1 Laser Warning Receiver System

System
detects
the targeting
laser.

Countermeasures
include smoke,
brighter laser
beam,
maneuvering,
etc.
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 Laser Guided Missile
Hellfire laser guided missiles mounted on a
US Army Apache helicopter gunship.

Newer variation (Hellfire II) replaces laser guidance

with radar guidance to penetrate smoke and cloud cover.
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 ABL
Airborne Laser
Antimissile Weapon
United States Air Force

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 ABL
Nose Turret

CO2 Targeting Laser

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 LASERS IN
MANUFACTURING
Punch Press
Typical Stamped Parts

Punch Press Problems

•Dangerous to operate.
•Required long runs
to be profitable.
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Laser Cutter

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 Computer Control
of Laser Cutter Equipment

•No human contact

with the part
during operation.
•Computer program
can be loaded
quickly. Shorter
runs are now
profitable.

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Laser Welding

Welded Parts

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 Laser Welding
Welded car door panel made from three types of steel.

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Laser Stereolithography
(SLA)

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Part Produced by
SLA

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LASERS IN MEDICINE

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 Laser Eye Surgery
LAser in SItu Keratomileusis (Lasik)

2. Laser removes tissue 1. Tiny flap

from remaining cornea of outer
to change its shape. cornea folded
back.

3. Flap of outer
cornea then
reattached.

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 Laser Tattoo Removal
(Doesn’t always work!)

The laser beam breaks up the pigments in the tattoo

into small particles. Then the body’s immune system
attacks and destroys them.
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 Laser Dentistry

Water jet

Laser

•Major advantage is no “drilling sound”.

•Can’t be used on existing metal fillings.
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LASER TESTING AND
MEASURING

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Laser Bar Code Scanning

Universal Product Code (UPC) Label

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Barcode on a UPS Label

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Barcode Scanner

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 Railroad Car Sorting
Using Barcode Scanning

Labels were often too dirty for the

scanners to read.

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Laser Surface Roughness Tester

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Laser Level

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Laser Speed Measurement
New York State Police

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Telescope Calibration
Lick Observatory

The adaptive optics system at

the Shane 3 meter telescope
utilizes a 20-watt sodium laser
to put a false star in the sky.
The system uses the star to
compensate for atmospheric
disturbances, creating sharper,
clearer images of the objects
observed.

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 LASER
COMMUNICATION

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Laser Printer

Corona Wire Discharge

Lamp

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 Laser Disk
Land
Pit

Beam doesn’t reflect: Beam reflects:

logical 0. logical 1.

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Laser Disk Drive

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 MODULATION
Superimposing a weak signal
on a strong one

MODULATED LASER BEAM:

Changes in the beam represent
Audio information in the audio signal.

Laser Carrier
DEMODULATOR: Removes
MODULATOR: Combines audio audio signal from the modulated
signal and laser beam. laser beam.

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 FIBER OPTICS
Transparent “Pipe” for Light to Travel Through
Advantages:
• Very high capacity.
• Can’t be tapped into.
• Not affected by electromagnetic (EM) interference.
• Allows light to travel around corners.

Disadvantages:
• Expensive.
• Can be difficult to install.

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 Fiber Optics
Center fiber optic cable has greater capacity
than any of these bundles of cable.

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