Pollution may come from oil stains on the hands of laboratory personnel. As far as the laser itself is concerned, surface coatings such as anode materials or pigments may interact with light of different wavelengths, resulting in discoloration or even exhaust gas, or thin film deposition on the surface of optical devices. Finally, for water-cooled laser pointer, it is necessary to consider corrosion, bimetallic or electroplating interactions between components, and even carbon dioxide in the air to form carbon dioxide to corrode the casing in the pump. Only some examples are given above.
There are multiple obstacles to solving the problem. When it comes to cooling, we must realize that where there is water, there will be life. Unfortunately, the life in the laser cooling system is algae and biofilm, which will cause various damage to the device.
In solid-state lasers, such sticky materials can cover the flow tube or active components (such as yttrium aluminum garnet / yttrium lithium fluoride rods), which in turn prevents pumping light, resulting in reduced output energy. Proficiency in chemical knowledge can help us solve these problems, but please remember that if you use the “headache and foot pain” method to deal with the problem, it may bring other negative effects, such as the use of bleach may damage the seal and the piping system. . Therefore, we must fully consider and understand in detail the properties of all materials in the system and the chemical reactions that may occur.
There may be biological contamination in the laser’s water cooling system. Electrical engineering is ubiquitous in laser science, and sometimes it can bring unexpected challenges. Every red laser pointer designer must understand some circuit design for designing power and controlling electronic equipment. At the same time, you must also have professional knowledge of electrical engineering, so that you can understand and eliminate electromagnetic interference (EMI) in the system. These electromagnetic interference may come from the system’s own Pockel cells (requires thousands of volts and switches The time is in the range of a few nanoseconds) and the high voltage generated by the device may also come from other equipment of the user.
Another example that requires electrical processing skills is how to supply 20kW power to the laser, so that the laser can be manufactured in Europe, then integrated into a large system in the United States, and finally installed in Israel. This task needs to take into account the electrical standards of different countries. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to the crown discharge caused by the high-voltage lamp lead (4 kV), try to eliminate the discharge, and avoid causing air ionization to damage the lead’s rubber insulation.