New Dimension Research & Instrument, Inc. (NDR) proposes to develop a low-cost, miniature green laser module emitting between 510 to 530 nm. Currently only Argon-ion lasers can emit 510nm laser light. Although the Argon gas lasers have been well established for many years, they possess several well-known disadvantages such as limited lifetime of their laser tubes, low overall efficiency, excessive air-cooling, and rather high noise in the output power. Conventional available DPSS/SHG laser has less electrical optical conversion efficiency (less the 1%), high signal to noise ratio due to mode competition in the YAG crystal, and more optics element, and only emitting at 530nm of laser light. The present innovative design of green laser module is also aimed at replacing these bulky and expensive air-cooled Argon-ion lasers and DPSS lasers that are currently used in most biomedical instruments. In the Phase I project, NDR will develop a breadboard prototype of 530 nm green laser using a semiconductor diode, coupled to a KTP, an intra-cavity frequency-doubling crystal. NDR will demonstrate that in comparison to the commercial DPSS laser, our single-mode 530 nm laser prototype has high up-conversion efficiency, high efficiency in heat management, low noise, and high stability. Potential applications of compact and low-cost green lasers in this spectral range include fluorescence imaging, chemical and biological detection, high-resolution spectroscopy, data storage, color printing, displays, photolithography, and remote sensing.
