Q-SWITCHES
An acousto-optic Q-switch (AOQS) works within a laser cavity to generate high intensity, pulsed light by actively controlling the Q-factor (loss) of the cavity. Our acousto-optic Q-switches are rugged, reliable, and long-lasting, backed by millions of hours of service in the field.
We offer low insertion loss, highly efficient acousto-optic Q-switches capable of handling very high peak power, and will draw on our 35 years of experience to match the cavity length, repetition rate, wavelength, beam diameter, polarization state and output power of a laser to the best acousto-optic Q-switch solution.
When placed inside a laser cavity, an acousto-optic Q-switch (AOQS) can be used to control the amount of light circulating within the resonator via the acousto-optic effect. When turned on, an AOQS diffracts light out of the optical beam path within the cavity, thus increasing losses and reducing the Q-factor. While loss in the cavity is high and pumping continues, lasing cannot occur, but a population inversion can build up within the gain medium. Once the gain is saturated, the RF power to the acousto-optic Q-switch is turned off, reducing loss within the cavity very quickly. This increases the Q-factor and allows rapid amplification to create a very high intensity, short pulse.
