Coherent has introduced a series of yellow (561nm) lasers, which, the company claims, produce higher power and offer greater efficiency than any model previously available at this wavelength. The Sapphire 561 is an optically pumped semiconductor laser (OPSL) that offers a choice of 50mW, 75mW, 100mW or 150mW of output power in a high quality (TEM00, M² <1.1) beam with excellent noise characteristics (rms noise <0.25 per cent from 20Hz to 2MHz). In addition, the inherently high efficiency of Coherent's OPSL technology results in four times better electrical efficiency and lower heat dissipation than products based on legacy Nd:YAG technology.
Sapphire 561 lasers share the same compact form factor (125 x 70 x 34mm) as low power Coherent Sapphire 488 lasers. All other interface and operating characteristics of the Sapphire 561 are identical to those of the 488nm wavelength product, which simplifies the integration of this new wavelength into existing applications. The Sapphire 561 utilises the same proven architecture, supply chain and manufacturing technology as the high volume, economical Sapphire 488 line.
Sapphire 561 lasers are well suited to a wide range of applications in the life sciences; their high power allows faster throughput and improved signal-to-noise ratio in flow cytometry, and also enables higher frame rates or reduced exposure times in confocal microscopy. The 561nm wavelength is well matched to the needs of emerging applications in proteomics and genomics.