Clicking this icon below will open a window that contains specifications and mechanical drawings.
Clicking this docs icon next to the item number (e.g., LP405-SF10) will allow you to download our standard support documentation.
In addition, after clicking "Choose Item" below, clicking the docs icon next to the serial number (e.g., 121113-51) will allow you to view unit-specific L-I-V and spectral measurements.
Features
Single Mode Pigtails from 405 nm to 1625 nm
Internal 8° Angle Cleaved Fiber
FC/PC Connector, 1 m of SM Fiber
Custom Pigtails Available Upon Request
This webpage contains Thorlabs' pigtailed laser diodes with single mode (SM) fiber. Diodes are arranged by wavelength and then power. The tables below list basic specifications to help you narrow down your search quickly. The blue button in the Info column within the tables opens a pop-up window that contains more detailed specifications for each item, as well as mechanical drawings.
Our high-quality SM pigtail alignment process for laser diodes includes multiple test and inspection points that ensure that the coupling efficiency is maximized. In addition, the input end of the fiber is cleaved at an 8° angle in order to minimize back reflections that can cause the output intensity to fluctuate. Single mode pigtails provide coherent fiber-coupled output from a laser diode. We offer versions based on TO-packaged diodes (Ø5.6 or Ø9 mm).
While the center wavelength is listed for each laser diode, this is only a typical number. The center wavelength of a particular unit varies from production run to production run, so the diode you receive may not operate at the typical center wavelength. After clicking "Choose Item" below, a list will appear that contains the dominant wavelength, output power, and operating current of each in-stock unit. Clicking on the red Docs Icon next to the serial number provides access to a PDF with serial-number-specific L-I-V and spectral characteristics. Diodes can be temperature tuned, which will alter the lasing wavelength.
The reliability of the laser diode/pigtail rapidly declines at higher temperatures. Therefore, for stable output power and wavelength, it is highly recommended that you use a temperature controller with these products.
Laser diodes are sensitive to electrostatic shock. Please take the proper precautions when handling the device. Fabry-Perot lasers are also sensitive to optical feedback, which can cause significant fluctuations in the output power of the laser diode depending on the application. Please contact Technical Support if you would like a quote on custom pigtailed laser diodes or for a volume order.
Ø5.6 mm and Ø9 mm Pin Configurations
For warranty information and the Thorlabs Life Support and Military Use Policy for laser diodes, please refer to the Warranty tab.
The drawing to the right shows a laser diode's emitted light focused into an angled ferrule of a fiber. By angling the ferrule 8°, light that is not coupled into the optical fiber is reflected away from the laser diode. If this reflected light were reflected back toward the diode, light would be coupled into the diode and cause fluctuations in power and wavelength.
Further Reducing Back Reflection Although we use a fiber coupling design that minimizes back reflections, other factors may couple light back into the fiber. Our standard pigtailed laser diodes feature optical fiber with an FC/PC connector. If this FC/PC connector is not connected directly to another component, about 4% of light in the fiber is reflected back toward the laser diode due to the silica/air interface. Customers who require a silica/air interface in their application can request FC/APC connectors to further minimize back reflections. As FC/APC connectors have an angled polish, light reflected back toward the diode will be further minimized.
! ! IMPORTANT NOTES AND WARRANTY INFORMATION ON LASER DIODES ! !
Laser Diode Warranty
When operated within their specifications, laser diodes have extremely long lifetimes. However most failures occur from mishandling or operating the lasers beyond their maximum ratings. Laser Diodes are highly static sensitive devices. Since Thorlabs does not receive any warranty credit from our laser manufacturers we cannot guarantee the lasers after their sealed package has been opened. Thorlabs will be happy to extend a full refund or credit for any lasers returned in their original sealed package within 30 days of purchase.
Thorlabs, Inc. Life Support and Military Use Application Policy
THORLABS’ PRODUCTS ARE NOT AUTHORIZED FOR USE AS CRITICAL COMPONENTS IN LIFE SUPPORT DEVICES OR SYSTEMS OR IN ANY MILITARY APPLICATION WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN APPROVAL OF THE PRESIDENT OF THORLABS, INC. As used herein:
1. Life support devices or systems are devices or systems which, (a) are intended for surgical implant into the body, or (b) support or sustain life, and whose failure to perform, when properly used in accordance with instructions for use provided in the labeling, can be reasonably expected to result in a significant injury to the user.
2. A critical component is any component in a life support device or system whose failure to perform can be reasonably expected to cause the failure of the life support device or system or to affect its safety or effectiveness.
3. The Thorlabs products described in this document are not intended nor warranted for usage in Military Applications.
Safe practices and proper usage of safety equipment should be taken into consideration when operating lasers. The eye is susceptible to injury, even from very low levels of laser light. Thorlabs offers a range of laser safety accessories that can be used to reduce the risk of accidents or injuries. Laser emission in the visible and near infrared spectral ranges has the greatest potential for retinal injury, as the cornea and lens are transparent to those wavelengths, and the lens can focus the laser energy onto the retina.
Safe Practices and Light Safety Accessories
Thorlabs recommends the use of safety eyewear whenever working with laser beams with non-negligible powers (i.e., > Class 1) since metallic tools such as screwdrivers can accidentally redirect a beam.
Laser goggles designed for specific wavelengths should be clearly available near laser setups to protect the wearer from unintentional laser reflections.
Goggles are marked with the wavelength range over which protection is afforded and the minimum optical density within that range
Lasers are categorized into different classes according to their ability to cause eye and other damage. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a global organization that prepares and publishes international standards for all electrical, electronic, and related technologies. The IEC document 60825-1 outlines the safety of laser products. A description of each class of laser is given below:
Class
Description
Warning Label
1
This class of laser is safe under all conditions of normal use, including use with optical instruments for intrabeam viewing. Lasers in this class do not emit radiation at levels that may cause injury during normal operation, and therefore the maximum permissible exposure (MPE) cannot be exceeded. Class 1 lasers can also include enclosed, high-power lasers where exposure to the radiation is not possible without opening or shutting down the laser.
1M
Class 1M lasers are safe except when used in conjunction with optical components such as telescopes and microscopes. Lasers belonging to this class emit large-diameter or divergent beams, and the MPE cannot normally be exceeded unless focusing or imaging optics are used to narrow the beam. However, if the beam is refocused, the hazard may be increased and the class may be changed accordingly.
2
Class 2 lasers, which are limited to 1 mW of visible continuous-wave radiation, are safe because the blink reflex will limit the exposure in the eye to 0.25 seconds. This category only applies to visible radiation (400 - 700 nm).
2M
Because of the blink reflex, this class of laser is classified as safe as long as the beam is not viewed through optical instruments. This laser class also applies to larger-diameter or diverging laser beams.
3R
Lasers in this class are considered safe as long as they are handled with restricted beam viewing. The MPE can be exceeded with this class of laser, however, this presents a low risk level to injury. Visible, continuous-wave lasers are limited to 5 mW of output power in this class.
3B
Class 3B lasers are hazardous to the eye if exposed directly. However, diffuse reflections are not harmful. Safe handling of devices in this class includes wearing protective eyewear where direct viewing of the laser beam may occur. In addition, laser safety signs lightboxes should be used with lasers that require a safety interlock so that the laser cannot be used without the safety light turning on. Class-3B lasers must be equipped with a key switch and a safety interlock.
4
This class of laser may cause damage to the skin, and also to the eye, even from the viewing of diffuse reflections. These hazards may also apply to indirect or non-specular reflections of the beam, even from apparently matte surfaces. Great care must be taken when handling these lasers. They also represent a fire risk, because they may ignite combustible material. Class 4 lasers must be equipped with a key switch and a safety interlock.
All class 2 lasers (and higher) must display, in addition to the corresponding sign above, this triangular warning sign
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Posted Comments:
Poster: tcohen
Posted Date: 2012-06-20 10:19:00.0
Response from Tim at Thorlabs: Thank you for your feedback. I would like to review your profile and share some pictures of ones we have tested to compare. Please ensure that both the collimator and the fiber are clean. Dirt can accumulate on the fiber tip which will impose dark spots on your image. These can be seen clearly through a fiber scope and can be remedied with our fiber cleaning products, http://www.thorlabs.com/NewGroupPage9.cfm?ObjectGroup_ID=3317. To see imperfections on the scale of darkening that a multimodal pattern would produce is highly irregular. I will contact you to get more information so we can determine the cause of the problem.
Poster: nizamov.shawkat
Posted Date: 2012-06-18 07:41:14.0
Hello,
I have a question regarding LP642-SF20. I have installed it and coupled its FC/PC output connector via FCB1 to P1-630-FC-2. Now I image the beam onto the CCD camera at ca. 30 cm distance (7x7mm, 1 MPixels). I observe practically homogenous illumination of CCD. Then I install the F280FC-B collimator, which should give us a Gaussian beam with ca. 3-4 mm diameter. I tried with CFC-11X-B too.
The problem is that while beam profile looks like a Gaussian beam in general, it contains also a lot of distortions in it - it is not homogenous and contains some structure in it - brighter / darker spots (not speckles!), like in multimode fibers. I do not have an experience with fibers - is it something to be expected or something is really wrong with my setup? Idea was to use such fiber spatial filter instead of a generic pinhole spatial filter and get a more or less homogenous illumination of area of about 1 mm2.
Poster: tcohen
Posted Date: 2012-05-08 09:22:00.0
Response from Tim at Thorlabs: Thank you for your feedback! We do have plans to spectrum test every laser pigtail in the future. I have opened a discussion with our engineers regarding your suggestions so that we may provide more useful documentation in the future. Thank you for your suggestions!
Poster: alexandru.serb05
Posted Date: 2012-05-04 14:17:18.0
Dear ThorLabs,
I always liked the straight-forward organisation of the ThorLabs website. Finding anything is quick and easy. If I can't find it I know it most likely isn't there.
For that reason I'd like to recommend that when uploading documentation for light sources (I'm looking at pigtailed lasers) this documentation is complete and thorough. For example, for the LP-1550-FC the manual is merely 2 pages. A number of crucial things are missing, such as plots of output power vs wavelength at a reference electrical power input and steady state, plots of the power spectral density of noise as detected by a well-characterised photodetector (mathematically discounting for the noise of the photodetector would also be very useful in this case) and, equally crucially, in the online version of the manual there is no indication of the IEEE laser classification. Admittedly this is often easy to guess, but not always... This can delay H&S preparations (as it did in my case when I found out that my 1,5mW IR laser diode is a class 3R and not 3B as I guessed).
As such, I wish to reiterate my recommendation that all components that make it to the market should be extensively characterised and proper, extensive manuals should also be provided along with the 'executive summaries' currently displayed for many such products. Incidentally, I've had a similar problem with SLDs. Unless I can get my hands on noise data for them I can not make a convincing case to my supervisor for buying one.
This is my only criticism to an otherwise unusually user-friendly and well-organised website.
Thank you.
Poster: bdada
Posted Date: 2011-10-04 19:49:00.0
Response from Buki at Thorlabs:
Thank you for your feedback. Our list of stock PM pigtailed diodes is smaller than our selection of SM pigtails but we will take your request into consideration as we continue expanding our selection of PM pigtails.
In the meantime, we have contacted you regarding a custom version of the LPS-675-FC.
Poster: johannes.kaschke
Posted Date: 2011-10-04 11:23:14.0
Why is it not possible to get the model LPS-675-FC with a polarization maintaining fiber? Is this setup simply not listed or not possible for other reasons?
Poster: apalmentieri
Posted Date: 2010-01-27 09:11:12.0
A response from Adam at Thorlabs to Juergen: The diodes that are used in our pigtails can be found under the specifications tab, and they contain links direct to the manufacturers specification sheet. For the LPS-1550-FC, they use the ML925B45F. This diode has a maximum voltage requirement of 1.5V and a maximum rise time of .7ns. I will email you a copy of the specification sheet for this diode.
Poster: juergen.bosse
Posted Date: 2010-01-27 05:50:32.0
And the product would be REALLY useful if I knew exactly which diode you are using here. I need to modulate it with 2.5 GHz, so the forward voltage and rise/fall time would be the most important parameters to know. Why dont you include the link to the manufacturers data sheet as you do on so many other products?
Thank you in advance, Juergen Bosse
Poster: acable
Posted Date: 2007-07-26 15:17:56.0
I would go one further and say the drive current and other main specifications need to be listed on the Specs tab for each of the pigtailed lasers. I would probably not recommend that we list this information in the catalog becasue it is nice to be able to switch diodes as they periodically change due to obsolescence or short supply.
Also please make it clear that the angle cleave is internally to the package, i also beleive this design is used for all the pigtails.
Poster: cjohns
Posted Date: 2007-07-26 13:56:45.0
We should definately show the which diode is used in these so the customers can easily tell the drive current needed
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The output power of each diode varies between production runs. Unit-specific operating data (i.e., Power, Operating Current, Threshold Current, etc.) is included on a specifications sheet that is shipped with the product.