Polarisation-maintaining VCSEL laser diode

Leslah Garland 1 June 2023  

IMM Photonics has announced it has now extended its diverse portfolio of laser diodes to include an efficient, low-cost and European-made niche product.

The company says the single mode VCSEL (vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers) 850 nm laser diode is contained in a compact TO46 housing. It can be used as a laser light source for optical sensors in industry and life science, as a barcode reader in supermarkets, in range and velocity measurements or for optical target marking (pointer).

Christian Raith, Managing Director at IMM Photonics said: “While traditional vendors have already withdrawn from the market for TO-housed VCSEL laser diodes under this specification, we see very good market opportunities with our innovative product.”

IMM Photonics says what makes this product, so special is the polarisation-maintaining characteristic of the laser diode. This essential feature is normally not present with conventional VCSEL laser diodes. In addition, in contrast to conventional laser diodes with an angular cross-section, the single mode VCSEL 850 nm has a round beam cross-section – a property that is indispensable in many of the above-mentioned areas of application.

IMM Photonics says it is already planning to further expand its range of special VCSEL laser diodes in response to feedback from the market.