Measure your beam as never before with the NanoScan™ beam profiler. The advantage of scanning slit beam profiling is sub-micron precision for measuring beam position and size. Scan head configurations include Silicon, Germanium, and Pyroelectric versions for a wide range of wavelengths and laser power levels. The NanoScan software is available in two versions: Standard and Professional, and includes an extensive set of ISO quantitative measurements, an M2 Wizard, and the ability to measure laser power.

NanoScan 2s combines the convenience and portability of direct USB connectivity with the speed, accuracy, and dynamic range that users have come to expect from the Photon NanoScan slit based profilers. The NanoScan 2s is available with a silicon, germanium or pyroelectric detector, which allows it to profile lasers of any wavelength from UV to far infrared, out to 100μm and beyond. With the new NanoScan 2s software package, the user can configure the display interface however it is desired; displaying those results of most interest on one easy-to-read screen, or on multiple screens.

The NanoScan slit profiler is the most versatile laser beam profiling instrument available today: providing instantaneous feedback of beam parameters for CW and kilohertz pulsed lasers, with measurement update rates to 20Hz. The natural attenuation provided by the slit allows the measurement of many beams with little or no additional attenuation. The high dynamic range makes it possible to measure beams while adjustments to focus are made without having to adjust the profiler. Just aim the laser into the aperture and the system does the rest!

NanoScan 2s is a PC-based instrument for the measurement and analysis of laser beam spatial irradiance profiles in accordance with the ISO standard 11146. The scan heads also measure power in accordance with ISO 13694. NanoScan uses the scanning slit, one of the ISO Standard scanning aperture techniques. It can measure beam sizes from microns to centimeters at beam powers from microwatts to over kilowatts, often without attenuation. Detector options allow measurement at wavelengths from the ultraviolet to the infrared.

The NanoScan 2s digital controller has 16-bit digitization of the signal for enhanced dynamic range up to 35dB power optical. With the accuracy and stability of the beam profile measurement you can measure beam size and beam pointing with a 3-sigma precision of several hundred nanometers. The software controllable scan speed and a "peak-connect" algorithm allows the measurement of pulsed and pulse width modulated lasers with frequencies of 10kHz and higher*. The NanoScan is also able to measure up to 16 beams, or regions of interest, in the aperture simultaneously.

Benefits

- Measure any wavelength from UV to very far infrared (190nm to >100μm)

- Instantaneous real time display of results; beam found in less than 300ms and updated at up to 20Hz

- Waist location can be determined to within ±25μm due to the well-defined Z-axis datum plane of the NanoScan

- Measure pulsed and CW lasers

- For pulsed beams the pulse rate is measured and reported

- From as small as 7μm beams, can be measured directly with guaranteed accuracy and precision

- Additional high signal to noise ratio can be achieved with averaging

- Z-axis caustic measurements are available with built-in mechanical linear stage control

- M2 propagation ratio values available with simple M2 Wizard included with the software.

- Any beam result can be charted and monitored over time

- Power levels can be monitored along with spatial measurements to determine if losses are introduced by beam adjustments

- Log results to text files for independent analysis

- Automate the system using optional ActiveX Automation commands, available with the PRO version software and scan heads

- Samples of automation programs included for Excel, VBA, LabView and Visual Basic.net

* The minimum frequency is a function of the beam size and the scan speed. This is a simple arithmetic relationship; there must be a sufficient number of pulses during the time that the slits sweep through the beam to generate a meaningful profile. Please refer to Photon's Application Note, Measuring Pulsed Beams with a Slit-Based Profiler.

In addition to new hardware, the NanoScan 2s has an updated integrated software package for the Microsoft Windows Platform, which allows the user to display any of the results windows on one screen. The NanoScan 2s software comes in two versions, STD and PRO. The NanoScan 2s Pro version includes ActiveX automation for users who want to integrate the NanoScan into OEM systems or create their own user interface screens with C++, LabView, Excel or other OEM software packages.

The NanoScan 2s is available with silicon, germanium or pyroelectric detectors to cover the light spectrum from UV to very far infrared. The NanoScan 2s is available with a variety of apertures and slit sizes to allow for the accurate measurement of varying beam sizes. The slit width defines the minimum beam width that can be measured; due to convolution error, the slit should be no larger than ¼ the beam diameter to provide a ±3% accurate measurement. For this reason the minimum beam diameter measureable with the standard 5μm slit is 20μm. To measure beams smaller than 20μm it is necessary to use the small aperture 1.8μm slit instrument, providing a minimum beam diameter of ~8μm. Because these slits are so narrow, the maximum length limits the aperture to 3.5mm. Contrary to many people's beliefs, these smaller slits do not improve the resolution of the measurement, only the minimum size of the beam. Therefore, unless it is necessary to measure beams less than 20μm, one would be advised to stick with the 9mm/5μm configurations.

Optics Application Co., Ltd.

Beam Profiler NanoScan