Q-switches

The following range of Q-switches we offer: -

Water Cooled Q-Switches

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Product Details:

Minimum Order Quantity	1 Piece
Brand	Gooch & Housego
Is It Portable	Portable

When choosing a Q-Switch there are a number of user definable parameters which can be selected in order to give the optimum performance in specific laser system. Here is an example part number for an industry standard type Q-Switch from Gooch & Housego Operating Frequency QS27-4S-B-XXn 24MHz and 27MHz have historically been the standard frequencies for A-Q Q Switching in lamp pumped 30W to 100W Nd: YAG (1064nm) laser systems. For the shorter cavities employed in DPSS Nd: YAG systems higher RF frequencies. Such as 41MHz and 68MHz have been introduced because they are more effective than the lower frequencies in shorter cavities. This is because the large acousto-optic deflection angles at the higher drive frequencies are more efficient in dumping optical energy for a shorter cavity. Active Aperture QS27-4S-B-XXn This number defines the effective vertical height (in mm) of the acousto beam which causes the Q Switch to operate. Standard apertures are 1, 1.6, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.5 and 8mm. Only that part of the Optical beam passing through this region will be modulated.

There are a number of important factors when selecting the active aperture.

For high efficiency (defined as maximum loss modulation at lowest possible RF power) you should choose an active aperture as choose as possible to the size of your optical beam. Acousto energy which does not flow through the region of the Q- Switch carrying the optical beam is not effective in modulating the laser. This acousto power is wasted making the device less efficient.
If the optical beam is larger than the active aperture the regions of the optical beam falling outside of the active aperture will not be modulated.
For ease of alignment of the Q Switch in the laser the active aperture should be slightly larger than the optical beam. This allows for mechanical tolerances in the laser assembly.

For example if you have a 1.7mm diameter laser then a-2 Q-Switch would be appropriate (2mm active aperture, just a little larger than the optical beam diameter).

The following diagrams illustrate this in more detail, showing the effect of changing the active acoustic aperture for a fixed optical beam height. In most applications the laser system designer knows the optical beam properties and should select a Q-Switch with suitable active aperture dimensions as shown below.

The active acoustic aperture is defined in the Q-Switch part number.
The optical beam must pass through the acousto-optic cell in the region that carries the acoustic beam. The optical beam diameter shown in the diagrams represents the 1/e diameter.
All diagrams show the relationship between the optical and acousto beams when viewed in the direction of propagation of the optical beam. The acoustic wave originates at the transducer shown on the left and travels to the right as indicated by the arrow.

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