SPIE Sensors & Imaging: PowerPhotonic launches Bessel Beam Generator

06 Sep 2023

Enables array of diverging kilowatt laser beams to be collimated into single, high-power beam.

by Matthew Peach in Amsterdam

PowerPhotonic, a developer and manufacturer of freeform, wafer-scale optics, based in Fife, UK, has this week been exhibiting and presenting an invited paper at SPIE Sensors and Imaging, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The company launched its new Bessel Beam Generator at the event; the device enables “diffraction-free, output beam profiles”. Bessel Beams have many, varied applications, including the cutting of transparent materials with ultra-short-pulse lasers; “self-healing” of free space communications links; cold atom trapping; and optical coherence tomography.

Dr. Stephen Kidd, Head of Sales & Marketing, explained, “A Bessel beam is non-diffractive, which means that as it propagates, it does not diffract and spread out, so it is useful in a variety of applications.”

“For example, Bessel beams are useful for optical tweezing, as they maintain their narrow focus over a relatively long section of beam.”

Callum Wreford, Lead Engineer at PowerPhotonic, responsible for high-power optics in defense and macro-machining applications, was invited to present his paper, entitled Beam combination modules for coherent combining of high-power fiber arrays.

The presentation, with a benchtop demonstration, explained how an array of diverging laser beams of more than 1kW each, can be collimated, shaped, phase flattened and tiled, for high efficiency combining into a single, high brightness beam.

Wreford explained that “the optics module that achieves this is many times smaller than conventional optics solutions and has only been enabled using laser-smoothed, monolithic, freeform surfaces – from PowerPhotonic’s core technology.”

PowerPhotonic’s full product range was on display, including light tunnel generators; beam shapers for scanners and for ultra-fast lasers; lens and axicon array homogenisers; and single mode and prime beam shapers.

Click on the following link for further information on the Sensors + Imaging exhibition 2023.