You may think it’s as “simple” as finding a material that lases at the right wavelength and then pairing it with UV-resistant optics. And you wouldn’t be wrong. That is a solution. It’s the one behind excimer lasers.

© 2024 iStockphoto LP. The iStock design is a trademark of iStockphoto LP. Browse millions of high-quality stock photos, illustrations, and videos.

20 years anniversary logo template isolated on white, 20th anniversary icon label with ribbon, twenty year birthday symbol isolated on white background

Red-Blue letters with a red and blue stroke/outline and shadow at bottom. Overlapped letters isolated on a white background. Vector illustration.

On the flip side, getting a UV laser up and running has required some hard work from the scientific and engineering community.

One common example of optics degradation by UVs is a phenomenon called solarization, which greatly impacts the transmittance of many glasses, alters their color and physical properties, and eventually renders them useless.

20th anniversary celebration. Gold numbers with glitter gold confetti, serpentine. Festive background. Decoration for party event. Tenth year jubilee celebration. Vector illustration.

20 years anniversarymessage

20 years anniversary logo template isolated on white, black and white stamp 20th anniversary icon label with ribbon, twenty year birthday seal symbol

Anniversary Celebration Logo, Icon Design. 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 Years Celebration badge templates, Icon Set of anniversary sticker templates isolated on black background.

The Beamage profiling camera’s UV converter actually uses frequency conversion in reverse to accurately image UVs and even X-Rays without risking any damage to the optics.

Because of its short wavelength, ultraviolet laser light is easily scattered and distorted by even weak surface roughness or bubbles. Therefore, only high-quality optics can be used for UV lasers.

20 years anniversaryis called

Thankfully, frequency conversion crystals can be used to convert the DPSS laser lines into shorter wavelengths. One common conversion is a frequency tripled 1064 nm YAG, which results in a 355 nm UV laser beam of high beam quality.

20 years anniversaryquotes

Laser power detector for measurement up to 50 000 W that traps > 97 % of the incident light and handles high intensities of small beams.

First of all, the optics required are very special, because UV light quickly degrades traditional optics and is very sensitive to defects. Not to mention that generating a laser beam of UV wavelength is a challenge in and of itself. A problem to which the world has found 2 distinct solutions.

The short wavelength translates to a small spot size, which in turn means great spatial resolution. UV lasers can also cut and mark with almost no thermal distortion. What’s more, they are compatible with a plethora of materials. All this combines to make them the go-to laser for sensitive high-precision applications.

20 years anniversarygift

20th years birthday vector black paper luxury invitation double card. Twenty years wedding anniversary celebration brochure. Template of invitational for print on dark background with bokeh lights.

20 years anniversary logo vector icon or 20th year birthday symbol collection flat cartoon, twenty birthday party pictograms set isolated on white background clipart image

Vector illustration of a royalty free round gold Anniversary label design. Easy to edit with layers. Download includes high resolution jpg and fully editable vector eps 10.

Poster template for Celebrating 20th event. Design for banner, magazine, brochure, web, invitation or greeting card. Vector illustration

The fact that UV light quickly degrades traditional optical components further limits the options available to laser designers. In fact, UV degradation isn’t something only laser designers have to take into account. Laser detectors also need to withstand the continued onslaught of UV rays and this is what makes pyroelectrics detectors a good fit for measuring UV.

20 years AnniversaryWoW

There is another approach, which doesn’t involve directly generating UV light. Instead, a more commonly available laser beam is passed through frequency-conversion crystals, converting it into UV. This solution is often referred to as DPSS UV lasers (diode-pumped solid-state).

20 years anniversarycolor

20 years anniversary celebrating vector logo icon in yellow orange green color, number 20th year birthday label tag sign isolated image

20-yearanniversarygift traditional and modern

20th anniversary. Twenty years birthday celebration banner in bright golden color. Circular logo with elegant number design.

Vector illustration of a Retro and Vintage Year Anniversary Label design beige and black color. Includes vector eps 10 and high resolution jpg.

20-yearanniversarysymbol

Diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) lasers, such as YAG lasers, are industry workhorses that can produce beams of high quality. However, the crystals available for DPSS emit wavelengths in a limited range (that does not include UV).

Creative banner for a website header. White letters of the 20 Years over an abstract colorful background. Vector illustration.

Excimers emit photons of UV wavelength to release excess energy and return to their ground state. Because this photon emission happens very quickly, high pump powers must be used to achieve population inversions (a precondition to lasing).

Noble gases typically don’t interact with other elements. However, if they are excited (by an electrical discharge for instance), they can bind to other atoms to form a very short-lived molecule called an excimer.

Portable laser power meter for up to 250 W with flexible calibration options so the customers only pay for what they use. Includes 3 measurement modes : SSP, CWP and SSE.

Gentec-EO's high-accuracy laser beam measurement instruments help engineers, scientists and technicians in all sorts of laser applications from the factory to the hospital, laboratory and research center. Learn about our solutions for these measurement types:

Browse 1,700+ 20th anniversary stock photos and images available, or search for 20 or 20 anniversary to find more great stock photos and pictures.

Laser specifications change over time for many reasons and it causes problems accross all industries. Learn about how laser output measurement solves numerous problems in YOUR industry. Download the guide below.

Laser specifications change over time for many reasons and it causes problems accross all industries. Learn about how laser output measurement solves numerous problems in YOUR industry. Download the guide below.   Gentec-EO's high-accuracy laser beam measurement instruments help engineers, scientists and technicians in all sorts of laser applications from the factory to the hospital, laboratory and research center. Learn about our solutions for these measurement types: Laser power meters Laser energy meters Laser beam profilers Terahertz power meters

Excimer lasers can provide the highest powers and the shortest wavelength of all UV lasers. However, the setup is large and complicated, requires a lot of maintenance, is not particularly efficient, and produces a laser of low beam quality.