Following its successful integration of a small green laser prototype into a miniature display and imaging engine developed by Microvision (Redmond, WA) called an Integrated Photonics Module, Corning (Corning, NY) let it be known that it will make its green laser prototypes available to potential projection-module customers for form, fit, function, and performance evaluations throughout 2007. The compact, efficient, high-speed green laser enables full-motion, full-color video images at SVGA resolution.
Corning converts the output of an infrared (IR) laser source to green laser light through second-harmonic generation (SHG). But unlike other green lasers that use this basic process, the Corning technology is unique in that it uses a ridge laser-diode IR source that is coupled to a wave-guided SHG crystal in a single-pass architecture. The IR laser diode builds on the design of Corning’s high-power and high-reliability 980 nm pump lasers and has an intrinsic modulation bandwidth in excess of 1 GHz. The single-pass architecture enables the green laser to have the same intrinsic bandwidth, and the wave-guided SHG means there is no tradeoff against efficiency. Contact Jim Grochocinski at [email protected]. (Photo courtesy of Corning)