The new Genesis CX355-250 laser from Coherent delivers more than 250mW of TEM00 output.
All Genesis CX355 lasers utilise Coherent's optically pumped semiconductor laser (OPSL) technology and provide true-CW ultraviolet (UV), rather than pulsed or quasi-CW (mode-locked) output.
In the Genesis CX355-250, the inherent advantages of OPSL technology include low noise (less than 0.5 per cent) and high output power, enabling original equipment manufacturer instruments to achieve good signal-to-noise characteristics.
The solid-state laser produces a TEM00 output beam (M less than 1.2), enabling collimation and/or refocusing to a diffraction-limited spot.
The applications most likely to benefit from the high power of the Genesis CX355-250 are in the flow cytometry of live cells, such as egg and fertilised-egg sorting, where the peak power of older, mode-locked lasers poses a significant risk of mutagenic damage to the DNA in the sorted cells.
The laser is suitable for use in the latest high-throughput cytometers incorporating two parallel laser interaction cells.
The Genesis CX355-250 is also said to be ideal for other fluorescence-based applications, including confocal microscopy, where its short wavelength and low M beam provide the optimum excitation of Hoechst and Indo dyes.
These confocal microscopes often rely on fibre delivery, which can be problematic for the high peak power levels of quasi-CW lasers.
The Genesis CX355-250 is targeted at some 3D prototyping applications, such as stereolithography.
