When selecting a laser beam profiler, there are several basic questions to be answered:
- Wavelength(s) Do I need a broad wavelength range system or a limited spectrum?
- Beam Diameter Is my beam small (a few microns) or is it larger, in the mm range?
- Power/Energy Am I dealing with µW/µJ, mW/mJ, or higher? Do I need attenuation/sampling?
- Accuracy What measurement accuracy do I need?
- CW or Pulsed or beam Do I have a CW (continuous) output or a pulsed beam? If pulsed what PRR?
Next, what measurements are needed?
- Beam Diameter(s)?
- Beam XY Position, Wander?
- Beam XYZ Focus Position?
- Beam Divergence, Pointing?
- Beam Shape (Gaussian, TopHat, Line Projection)?
- Beam Quality (e.g. M2 Propagation Parameter, Uniformity)?
The answer to these questions will help narrow the selection of profilers that will best measure your beam.
Camera-based systems offer the broadest use for beam profiling, but lack the highest resolutions, which may be required for very small beams (below 32 µm in size). If you have a low pulse-rate beam, have irregularly (non-Gaussian) shaped beams, or if you’re looking for a general purpose profiler, these are a good choice.