Direct green diode lasers are an important step toward powerful pico projectors. It means that the old laborious way of producing green light by doubling the frequency of infrared laser is no longer needed. What’s more, the new technology enables high color rendering and excellent contrast to be achieved. The wavelength of the new PL 520 laser diode of 515-530 nm produces precisely the right green for projection applications. Its optical output is 50 mW and its efficiency is typically 5-6 % at present. The second version of the PL 520 offers an output of 30 mW in a wavelength range of 510 to 530 nm. With a package diameter of only 3.8 mm the laser diodes enable the dimensions of projection units to be reduced considerably. “The commercial breakthrough for compact laser projectors is closer than ever before”, said Stephan Haneder, Marketing Manager for Consumer Lasers at Osram Opto Semiconductors.”
The lasers have a very high beam quality – in other words an extremely narrow beam that spreads out only slightly thanks to its small divergence angle. In the case of pico projectors, which project the laser light with a MEMS mirror (micro-electromechanical system) without any other optics, the size of the light point determines the image resolution. The beam quality is particularly important here. Both laser diodes operate in single mode, which means they emit only a single transverse oscillation mode.
Laser shows, point lasers and line lasers
Green diode lasers are also ideal as point or line lasers for measuring distances for example. The human eye is most sensitive in the green spectrum so they offer another important advantage over red laser light. For the same laser output, and therefore the same laser safety class, green light is perceived more easily by the eye than the red light that is usually used. This means that distance meters, such as those used by builders, can be used over larger distances.
Technical data for a package temperature of 25°C:
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PL 520
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TO 38 ICut design, diameter 3.8 mm
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typically 5-6%
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30 mW
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Wavelength
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515 – 530 nm
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High beam quality for laser projection – the direct green emitting PL 520 laser diode from Osram Opto Semiconductors
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