Transfer Standards For Energy And Peak Power Of Low-Level 1.064 Micrometer Laser Pulses And Continuous Wave Laser Power

Abstract

For the first time traceable transfer standards have been developed for measuring 1.064 µm laser pulses with duration of about 10 to 100 ns, peak power density of about 10-8 to 10-4 W/cm2, and energy density of about 10-16 to 10-11 J/cm2. These power and energy transfer standards use avalanche (APD) and PIN silicon photodiode detectors, respectively. They are stable and have total uncertainties of about 10%. The system for calibrating them and other devices consists of a cw Nd:YAG laser beam acousto-optically modulated to provide low-level laser pulses of known peak power and energy. With pulse height analyzer readout, the PIN transfer standard system may record each pulse, from which the mean pulse energy and laser stability may be evaluated. With integrating voltmeter readout, this system can measure energy or average power. These pulsed and cw measurement techniques can be extended to the visible and other near-infrared wavelengths.