Newport Shapes Laser Beams

IRVINE, Calif. -- Newport Corporation’s new Refractive Beam Shaper converts Gaussian laser beam input to produce a collimated, flat-top beam that can propagate without change in power and intensity, or loss of uniformity over large distances.

A unique refractive optical design and technology patented by IBM Research has made it possible to create a simple-to-use, easy-to-integrate and efficient beam shaper with nearly 100% conversion efficiency. The Refractive Beam Shaper relies on low-dispersion refractive optics and produces no hard edges, speckles or diffraction effects. The beam shaper has several benefits over diffractive optics including: wavelength insensitivity, collimated output, and simpler mounting and alignment.

Newport’s Refractive Beam Shaper functions over a large bandwidth from far IR to deep UV allowing for use in many fields. The shaper has applications in illumination (e.g., displays and lithography), laser processing (drilling, machining, and surgery), nonlinear optics (high-energy lasers), and where tight focusing requirements are necessary such as microscopy and printing.

In making the announcement, Tom Miller, Optics and Opto-mechanics Product Line Manager, said, “A Gaussian beam has always been something that scientists and engineers have had to put up with and work around. Now, they can generate a uniform beam, allowing them to pursue a whole host of new applications with the precision and accuracy they require without significant losses in output power. This product is bound to have a significant impact on the laser industry.”

Newport Corp.