What is CW laser

What is a CW laser?

CW laser, that is, continuous wave laser, is a laser that achieves laser output by continuously exciting energy. The laser it produces is continuous until it is turned off artificially. Continuous wave lasers are characterized by a light output intensity (energy) that remains constant over time, and the amount of power produced is measured in watts (W).

Continuous wave lasers usually have stable performance and can emit continuous laser light with narrow bandwidth and high light intensity. It has wide applications in many fields, such as optical experiments, material processing, medicine, communications, etc.

In optical experiments, continuous wave lasers are often used to detect or measure various physical parameters of target objects or media, such as distance, speed, shape, chemical composition, etc. In addition, continuous wave lasers are also used for material processing, such as laser cutting, drilling, engraving, etc. In the medical field, continuous wave lasers are used for therapy, surgery, and diagnosis. In the field of communications, continuous wave lasers are used in fiber optic communications, audio and video transmission, etc.

In general, a continuous wave laser is a laser with high power, high precision, high stability, frequency stability and other characteristics. It plays an irreplaceable role in many different industries and application fields.

What can cw laser be used for?

Continuous wave (CW) lasers have a variety of applications, mainly involving the following aspects:

Optical ranging: By locking the frequency of the continuous wave laser, high-precision ranging can be achieved. In lidar and laser rangefinders, continuous wave lasers are often used to calculate distance by measuring the time of day difference (TOF) of light rays.

Optical manufacturing: Continuous wave lasers can be used to process a variety of materials, such as laser cutting, laser drilling, laser marking, etc. In the field of materials manufacturing, continuous wave lasers are widely used for their high power, high precision and stability.

Transport light: In the field of optical communication, continuous wave lasers are used as the light source for transmitting signals and are used to transmit data in optical fibers. Because continuous wave lasers have high power, high reliability and stability, they are widely used in optical networks, optical audio and video transmission.

Medical Applications: Continuous wave lasers can be used in a variety of therapeutic and diagnostic methods in the medical field, such as dental scaling, photodynamic therapy, intravascular irradiation, etc.

Scientific research: Continuous wave lasers are used as basic tools in many disciplines such as physics, chemistry, biology, and materials and information science to reveal various new ultrafast change processes and explore the laws of material movement in the microscopic world.

In addition, continuous wave lasers are also used in scientific research, industrial manufacturing, communications, information processing and other fields. It should be noted that different types and specifications of continuous wave lasers have different characteristics and application ranges, so in actual applications, it is necessary to select the appropriate laser according to specific needs.

What are the advantages of continuous wave lasers?

Continuous wave lasers offer the following advantages:

High stability and reliability: Continuous wave laser adopts continuous working mode, its structure is relatively simple, its working state is stable and reliable, its life is long, and its maintenance cost is low.

High power and energy density: Continuous wave lasers can provide high power and energy density laser output, which can meet various high-precision and high-efficiency processing needs.

Good beam quality: Continuous wave lasers usually have good beam quality and narrow output spectrum, and can provide laser beams with excellent focusing performance and small heat-affected zones, which are conducive to high-precision processing and welding.

Continuous working mode: Continuous wave lasers can work continuously and can quickly complete large-area processing and welding tasks, improving production efficiency.

Easy to control and adjust: The output power and energy density of the continuous wave laser can be adjusted by controlling its working current, etc., to facilitate automatic control and optimization of the processing process.

In short, continuous wave lasers have the advantages of high stability and reliability, high power and energy density, good beam quality, continuous working mode, and easy control and adjustment, so they are widely used in industrial manufacturing, scientific research, medical and other fields.

What are the disadvantages of continuous wave lasers?

Continuous wave lasers also have some shortcomings, mainly including the following aspects:

High thermal energy loss: Continuous wave lasers generate a large amount of heat energy when working. This heat energy will increase the temperature of the laser, thus affecting its performance and stability. Therefore, continuous wave lasers need to take effective heat dissipation measures to ensure their normal operation.

Higher energy consumption: Continuous wave lasers require larger currents and voltages when working, so they consume higher energy and have higher operating costs.

Sensitive to vibration and noise: The output power and energy density of continuous wave lasers are greatly affected by vibration and noise, so you need to pay attention when applying in environments with large vibration and noise.

Difficulty in achieving high repetition rates: The output frequency of continuous wave lasers is difficult to modulate at high repetition rates, so continuous wave lasers may not be suitable for applications requiring high repetition rates.

In summary, continuous wave lasers have shortcomings such as high thermal energy loss, energy consumption, sensitivity to vibration and noise, and difficulty in achieving high repetition rates. Therefore, these factors need to be taken into consideration when selecting and applying continuous wave lasers.