BLINKFR is a new generation of fast response laser sensors (patent pending), based on a technology that enables to reach high speeds unreachable with standard thermopile detectors.
BLINKFR sensors are based on a proprietary technology which enables natural response times of 90 ms (typ.) while still keeping broadband spectral range, power density capability and direct high power operation up to 60W of comparable thermopile detectors.
The response time is a key parameter for laser detectors where a faster response is required because several phenomena like pointing stability, fast drifts, instabilities can only be monitored if the detector responds very quickly. However, when the detector is fast it cannot withstand high powers (as in the case of all photodetectors) or, vice-versa, when the detector can withstand the power, it is slow (as it happens with thermopile sensors or Peltier devices).
Photodetectors can respond to pulses < 1ns. They can only withstand few milliwatts of direct laser power and their advantage of a fast response is, in most of applications, spoiled by standard readout electronics which curb the response time to 0.1-0.2 s.
Thermopile detectors are inherently slow: their natural response times range from > 1s to several tens of seconds, depending on the maximum power rating. Those natural response times can be reduced by electronics circuits and speed-up algorithms, but cannot be lower than 800ms-1 s, and only in the case of very low power heads.
BLINKFR sensors, differently from thermopile sensors, offer an unreached natural (without any acceleration by additional electronics) response time down to 90 ms (typ.). This is a game changing feature for laser power measurement because it paves the way to a number of applications that were not possible before.
BLINKHS is the latest of Laserpoint’s achievements specifically developed to measure ultrafast lasers with pulse duration down to femtoseconds. The ultimate solution for any application requiring: accurate energy measurements for ultrafast pulsed lasers, monitoring of fast manufacturing processes in production lines and detection of fast instabilities in ultrafast lasers.
- Repetition rates up to 1 MHz power
- Electronics with sampling rate up to 500 Msample/s
- Active area: 14 x 14 mm
- Wavelength range: Measures from 250 nm to 1100 nm and 10.6 microns
BLINKHS patent pending technology, based on thermopile design, makes this product the fastest laser power and energy sensor currently available in the market. This technology allows to combine the high response speed of a photodiode with the broadband and high power operation of a thermopile.
Laser applications requiring high speed measurements can take advantage of the sub-microsecond response time; this BLINKHS feature allows to measure the energy of each pulse emitted by laser sources with repetition rates up to 1 MHz, pulse durations down to fs and average power up to 20W, characteristics that cannot be present all together in pyroelectric or photodiode sensors. Moreover, its high damage threshold and efficient water cooling allow to withstand energies up to 10mJ.
BLINKHS can be deployed by laser manufactures to detect fast instabilities in laser sources as well as by system integrators to monitor fast processes in production lines. Combining all advantages present in photodiodes, pyroelectric and thermal detectors, BLINKHS is a very versatile product, suited to measure most of the laser sources commercially available, from ultrashort pulse to CW lasers. High speed electronics is also available with a sampling rate up to 500 Msample/s to provide a precise energy measurement of each single ultrashort pulse.