Laser Diode Drivers available from Stock
Today’s state-of-the-art laser diodes are powerful but sensitive devices requiring high-stability and accurate input power to drive them reliably. AMS Technologies’ selection of laser diode drivers available from stock addresses the requirements for low-, medium- and high-power laser diodes, whether driving single laser diodes, laser diode arrays or complete diode laser modules. Drivers for quantum cascade lasers (QCL) are also available.
Within our comprehensive product range, laser diode drivers/controllers for PCB, chassis or benchtop mount are available, allowing for easy integration into your laser system and featuring high-end technology to provide high performance, low noise and down to well below 1% regulation and current error in order to best power, control and protect your laser diodes.
Our selection of drivers available from stock can provide from a few Watts up to kW ranges at a maximum of 250 A. Some of these devices include a temperature controller for Peltier (TEC) modules. These “laser diode drivers and TEC temperature controllers” additionally help to maintain the thermal and spectral stability of the laser diode.
Additional Product Portfolio
In addition to the large inventory available from stock in our portal, we also carry a broad range of ultra-compact and highly reliable laser diode controller solutions providing constant current or constant power mode with industry-leading stability, some models also featuring external modulation or computer control.
Module-type low-noise laser diode drivers are available that provide current levels from 2.5 A up to 15 A, meeting laser compliance requirements from 3 V up to 28 V. Another series of module type devices combine laser diode drivers and thermoelectric (TEC) temperature controllers on one small board, with driving capabilities up to 2.2 A for the laser diode as well as the TEC. For laboratory use on the benchtop or in a rack, a series of instrument-type laser diode and TEC temperature controllers with an intuitive touch-screen interface is available that outputs up to 5 and 10 A for the laser and TEC, respectively.
Our portfolio also includes an instrument-type laser diode driver and TEC temperature controller that allows a customer-owned laser diode to be easily plugged to an internal socket and the fiber pigtail connected with the front panel fiber adapter, as well as a full-blown laser diode life test and burn-in system consisting of a multi-channel laser diode drive and TEC temperature control system that can be controlled through a digital electronic interface.
If you can’t find an off-the-shelf laser driver that meets your needs, please contact the AMS Technologies laser driver experts – together with our suppliers we can create a laser driver solution tailored to your requirements.
Related Products
Use our laser diode drivers to power and control AMS Technologies’ broad range of laser diodes, modules and systems. Whether semiconductor, solid state or fiber, whether cw, Q-switched or ultrafast, whether free beam or fiber coupled, or whether at infrared, visible or UV wavelengths, we supply the laser and system technology you need to best complement your process and achieve maximum performance.
Complementing our laser diode drivers, AMS Technologies carries a broad range of dedicated TEC temperature controllers very well suited for drive and control of thermoelectric coolers (TEC) or thermoelectric modules (TEM) based on Peltier technology. Analog and digital TEC drivers with proportional as well as PID type of control are available.
Our portfolio of accessories for laser diode drivers and TEC temperature controllers ranges from mounts for butterfly laser diodes or mounts for DIL type laser diodes, various pre-confectioned cables and dedicated thermal management components like heat sinks, thermal paste and fans all the way to power supplies, digital displays and remote control units as well as evaluation boards.
Definition
A laser diode driver, sometimes also called laser diode power supply, is an adjustable current source that delivers exactly the current level to the laser diode that is needed for its best performance in a particular application. An ideal laser diode driver is noiseless, linear and accurate, driving laser diode current safely and reliably across a broad range of environmental conditions.
The laser diode driver’s control feedback loop can keep the current of either the laser diode or a photodiode (sometimes integrated into the laser diode package) constant at the level that has been defined by the user.
In constant current mode (CC mode) the laser diode current is used as feedback, and the control system keeps the adjustable current source’s output constant. In constant power mode (CP mode) the photodiode current is used as feedback – the control system keeps this photodiode current (an input signal to the laser diode driver) and thus the laser diode’s optical power at a constant level. As a result, the output of the adjustable current source will be varied in order to stabilize the optical output power level.
Laser diode drivers available on the market vary widely in feature set and performance. Among the main important characteristics of a laser diode driver are high linearity and low-noise operation. Most laser diode drivers also provide limiting functions like current limit, soft start, spike and ESD protection to prevent laser diode damage.
User inputs to the laser diode driver’s control system include the diode current limit setpoint, the operating mode (CC or CP mode) or the operating setpoint. For remote control and non-cw operation, an analog or digital modulation input is usually available. For this feature, the modulation bandwidth is an important parameter
How to Select the Right Laser Diode Driver
To decide which laser diode driver is most appropriate for your application, it is recommended to start with the current and voltage requirements of your laser diode. First determine your maximum laser diode (LD) current requirements and choose the laser diode driver’s maximum output current accordingly. Then take your laser diode’s compliance voltage into account – the maximum voltage that can develop over the laser diode at maximum current. It is important to choose a driver with sufficient compliance voltage – especially when driving multiple diodes in series or bars.
The decision on the laser diode driver’s package style is the next step. Consider which mount option would fit best – components for PCB mount are available as well as modules for chassis or benchtop mount or instruments for benchtop or rack mount.
Acceptable noise level and modulation bandwidth including rise and fall times also are important parameters for choosing the right driver. For low-noise operation (constant current mode only), our QCL drivers can also be used with laser diodes.
If you can’t find an off-the-shelf laser driver that meets your needs, please contact the AMS Technologies laser driver experts – together with our suppliers we can create a laser driver solution tailored to your requirements.
Alternative Terms: LD Driver; Laser Diode Controller; LD Controller; Laser Diode Power Supply; Laser Driver; Laser Controller; Quantum Cascade Laser Driver; QCL Driver; QCL Controller
