What are the applications of semiconductor lasers

Application in the field of optoelectronics

 

(1) Optical fiber communication. In optical fiber communication system, semiconductor laser is the only practical light source, and optical fiber communication has become the mainstream of contemporary communication technology.

 

(2) CD-ROM access. The semiconductor laser is used in optical disc memory, and its biggest advantage is that it stores a large amount of sound, text and image information. The use of blue and green lasers can greatly improve the storage density of the disc.

 

(3) Spectral analysis. Far-infrared tunable semiconductor lasers have been used in environmental gas analysis, air pollution monitoring, automobile exhaust monitoring and so on. It can be used in industrial gas phase accumulation monitoring process.

 

(4) Optical information processing. Semiconductor lasers have been used in optical information systems. Surface-emitting semiconductor laser two-dimensional arrays are ideal light sources for optical parallel processing systems and will be used in computers and optical neural networks. The high-energy ultra-short light impulse generated by the Q-switched semiconductor laser can cut and punch integrated circuits.

 

(5), laser. Semiconductor laser alarm is widely used, including anti-theft alarm, water level alarm, vehicle distance alarm and so on.

 

(6) Laser printer. Laser printers already use high-power semiconductor lasers. The use of blue and green lasers can greatly improve printing speed and resolution.

 

(7) Laser barcode scanner. Semiconductor laser barcode scanners have been widely used in commodity sales, books and file management and other fields.

 

(8), high-definition laser TV. In the near future, semiconductor laser TVS without cathode-ray tubes could be put on the market. Red, blue, and green lasers are estimated to consume 20 percent less power than existing TVS.

 

Used in material processing

 

Semiconductor lasers are mostly used to cut materials and process circuit boards. Due to the high stability and high efficiency of the laser, industrial materials can be easily and accurately cut, and low-wavelength ultraviolet lasers are also well used in the processing of high-frequency circuit boards.

 

(1) Pump source for fiber lasers and solid state lasers

At present, pump sources as fiber lasers and solid-state lasers are the largest applications of semiconductor lasers. As the pump source of fiber lasers, semiconductor lasers can fundamentally simplify the structure of the pumping system or improve the power level of the pump. With the increasing output power of fiber lasers and solid-state lasers, higher requirements are put forward for the power of semiconductor pump sources.

 

(2) Metal cutting

Due to the limitation of beam quality, traditional semiconductor lasers are difficult to be directly used for metal cutting. In recent years, with the improvement of semiconductor coupling technology and the gradual maturity of new beam combining technology, some semiconductor lasers with fiber output above kilowatt level can meet the requirements of cutting beam quality. In addition, due to the diversity of semiconductor laser wavelengths, short-wavelength semiconductor laser wavelengths are very close to the maximum absorption value of aluminum wavelengths. In the automotive industry, high-power semiconductor lasers are ideal for welding aluminum in body parts. Semiconductor lasers with laser output power from 2KW to 6KW are widely used in the automotive industry production process.

 

(3) Plastic welding

Laser welding uses small and medium power semiconductor laser, which improves the traditional thermoplastic welding method. For example, with ultrasonic welding, the joint area can be plasticized directly before compression. The laser can achieve light penetration laser welding, forming a uniform melt in the connection area, avoiding the fuzziness caused by friction. Semiconductor laser plastic welding is widely used in the automotive industry for the sealing of sensors or plastic boxes, and can also be used for the edge of wood products or processing fiber-reinforced synthetic materials.

 

(4) Laser cladding

Laser coating, also known as laser coating or laser coating, is a surface modification technology. High energy density laser beam by adding coating material on the surface of the substrate, melting with the thin layer on the surface of the substrate, forming a coating on the surface of the substrate combined with metallurgy. Semiconductor lasers can be used in the coating process to reduce the mixing of powder and collective material, reduce heat input, and further improve the economic efficiency of the coating process.

 

(5) Laser tin welding

Tin welding is a welding method that uses a metal solder with a low melting point to be heated and melted, which then penetrates and fills the joint gap of the metal part. The welding material is usually a tin-based alloy. At present, semiconductor laser with output power of 100W has been widely used in tin welding. With the further reduction of semiconductor laser prices, the continuous improvement of labor costs, and the advancement of intelligent manufacturing and precision manufacturing, it is expected that laser tin welding will gradually replace the traditional soldering iron welding in the future and be widely used.