By Ondax
PowerLocker® gratings are volume holographic (volume Bragg) gratings formed by creating index modulation within the volume of a proprietary photo-sensitive glass substrate. They act as highly selective wavelength filters or reflectors, providing narrowband spectral feedback for laser diodes. They are stable over wide temperature and power ranges and do not degrade over time thanks to robust holographic recording materials. PowerLocker® VBGs provide narrow-band, wavelength-selective reflection that forces the laser diode to operate at the recorded Bragg wavelength, effectively "locking" the laser onto a stable emission line by: - Providing strong wavelength-selective feedback in an external cavity - Reducing thermal drift (typically ~0.01 nm/°C) - Narrowing spectral linewidths significantly This external feedback mechanism forces the diode to lase at the grating's designed center wavelength, enabling extremely stable output even under varying temperature, current, and aging conditions. Using VBGs as feedback elements in external cavities provides: - High wavelength stability (typically ~0.01 nm/°C) - Narrow linewidth output (single frequency or typically <0.1 nm for multimode diodes) - Reduced thermal dependence - Higher spectral brightness and improved mode selection - Compact and low-cost external cavity configurations compared to Littrow/Littman systems Compared to Littrow or Littman external-cavity lasers, PowerLocker® VBGs offer: - Shorter cavity length, resulting in more compact assemblies - Higher stability, because feedback is wavelength-selective rather than angular - Lower alignment sensitivity - Solid-state reliability, as VBGs are monolithic glass elements with no coating degradation Typical PowerLocker® VBG wavelengths include: 405, 633, 658, 780, 785, 794.7, 808, 885/888, 920, 938, 940, 976, 981, 1064 nm, plus telecom O-band/C-band and many custom wavelengths from ~400 nm to >2 µm. Depending on model and thickness, typical specifications include: - Bandwidth (FWHM): 0.03–1 nm - Reflectivity: 5–98% (up to >99% on specialized designs) - Temperature dependence: ~0.01 nm/°C - Wavelength tolerance: ±0.5 nm (tighter available) - Insertion loss: <1% PowerLocker® VBGs are tested under extreme conditions with: - No degradation at high optical intensities - High damage thresholds (e.g., >15 J/cm² for 20ns pulses at 1064 nm; >170 MW/cm² continuous-wave equivalent) - Over 12,000 hours of stability testing at 300°C These characteristics make them suitable for multimode diodes, DPSS pumping, and other high-power applications. Common applications include: - Raman spectroscopy - DPSS/pumped solid-state lasers - LiDAR - Quantum optics - Gas sensing and metrology - RGB light sources - Telecom (O-band, C-band) - Frequency doubling, nonlinear optics Because PowerLocker® gratings are solid-state holographic elements with no moving parts or thin-film layers, they: - Maintain performance over the years - Resist humidity, high temperature, and mechanical shock - Offer consistent unit-to-unit manufacturing reproducibility
SIERRA™ Raman Spectrometer with SURELOCK™ laser is engineered to be ultra-compact, durable, and easy to use, making it an ideal choice for any Raman spectroscopy applications. Featuring the SureLock™ Laser, it ensures steady, high-power, and spectrum-narrowed performance while maintaining low power consumption. The SIERRA™ platform combines a well-established SureLock wavelength-stabilized laser source with an integrated spectrometer in a single compact housing. This architecture reduces alignment complexity and simplifies system integration. Sierra is designed to accelerate the development of Raman solutions by providing a turnkey optical engine that ensures consistent, reproducible performance while lowering overall system size and cost.
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ORCA is a THz-Raman™ crystallinity meter that uses a scanning laser beam to detect and identify low concentrations of specific polymorphs of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) within complex mixtures. By probing low-frequency lattice vibrations that are highly sensitive to crystal structure, ORCA enables reliable detection of targeted polymorphic forms even at very low concentrations. This rapid, non-destructive technique requires little to no sample preparation and provides a powerful complement to PXRD for solid-form characterization. ORCA supports polymorph screening, crystallinity analysis, and pharmaceutical quality control, enabling fast identification of crystalline phases directly within heterogeneous samples.
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WALDO builds on the WPS high-throughput THz-Raman™ screening platform by adding flexible measurement geometries for a wider range of microplate formats. WALDO supports laser scanning through transparent well plates as well as top-down excitation for opaque plates, including stainless steel and Kapton plates commonly used for PXRD experiments. This dual-mode capability allows researchers to perform rapid polymorph screening and crystallinity analysis across different sample holders while leveraging the sensitivity of low-frequency THz-Raman™ spectroscopy to probe crystal lattice structure and molecular composition.
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SureLock™ wavelength-stabilized laser diodes and modules incorporate our ultra-narrowband VBGs, forming an external cavity using TruSet to precisely lock the laser’s wavelength to the needs of the application. This enhances spectral brightness and optical performance stability across the entire power range and extended temperature conditions. The extremely short external cavity offers superior mode selection and a smaller footprint than Littrow or Littman cavity designs while reducing the spectral bandwidth of a typical laser by an order of magnitude. With fast warm-up times, flexible power options, and consistent performance, these lasers are ideal for demanding applications such as analytical instruments. Available as modules or components, SureLock® lasers offer flexibility for seamless development and system integration. Applications - Raman spectroscopy - Holography - HeNe replacement - Particle characterization - Analytical instrumentation - Speckle interferometry - Metrology and inspection
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