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Sam's Laser F A Q

    One of the best resources of technical information on all types of laser and laser construction is Sam's Laser FAQ. Sam's Laser FAQ has by far the largest collection of information on home-built lasers in addition to general laser info. Chapters on ALL of the Scientific American lasers as well as pulsed lasers, DPSS lasers, and more! This page is an introduction and gateway to Sam's Laser FAQ

Billed as "A Practical Guide to Lasers for Experimenters and Hobbyists" the FAQ was created over many years of work by Samuel M. Goldwasser.  The FAQ is a collection of documents that has a great deal of practical information on a variety of laser related topics. Sam's Laser FAQ provides a wealth of useful (not just textbook) information on many types of lasers of interest to the experimenter and hobbyist:

• Basic laser principles, laser safety, general laser information, laser instruments and applications, laser and parts sources, laser discussion groups and newsgroups, and many references, and links. There is even a list of laser experiments and projects. 
• Diode, Helium-Neon (HeNe), Argon/Krypton (Ar/Kr) Ion, Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Helium-Cadmium (HeCd), and solid state (SS) laser characteristics, drive requirements, power supply design considerations. Schematics for at least 15 diode laser drivers, 30 complete HeNe laser power supplies, 6 complete Ar/Kr ion laser power supplies, and 6 pulsed SS laser power supplies, as well as many other support circuits like regulators and modulators.
• Amateur laser construction (building lasers from raw materials rather than from laser components). Extensive material on getting started in this exciting and challenging pastime (often a great deal of time!) as well as complete descriptions - with diagrams - of the home-built lasers from the Scientific American "Amateur Scientist" columns (and the collection "Light and its Uses") and other sources.

A full copy of Sam's Laser FAQ is available as a .zip file for download from the Download section of the Backstage area.  This .zip file version is updated each time the FAQ is revised.

To help you hate started, here are links from the main table of contents that lead to areas of interest to laserists:

PART I - Basics, Safety, General Information, Instruments, Applications, Experiments

• What is a Laser and How Does It Work? - The laser age, principles, types, on-line tutorial, lasers as a hobby.
• Laser Safety - Hazards to vision, other issues, 100 W light bulb versus 1 mW laser, safety classifications, links.
• Items of Interest - Laser power meters, Fabry-Perot and DFB types, wavelengths, speckle, collimation, etc.
• Laser Instruments and Applications - Rangefinders, interferometers, gyros, light shows, laser TV, Fourier optics.
• Laser Experiments and Projects - Diffraction, interference, holography, display, more.

   

PART II - Print/Web Laser and Optics Resources, Laser and Parts Suppliers, Manufacturers

• Laser Information Resources - Books, magazines, collections, patents; Web newsgroups, lists, forums, links.
• Laser and Parts Sources - Walk-in, mail order, high quality, surplus, component and system manufacturers.

   

PART III - Lasers Based on Commercial Components - Diode, HeNe, Ion, CO2, HeCd, SS

• Diode Lasers - Basic considerations, visible and IR (e.g., from CD player) types, testing, visibility, collimation.
• Diode Laser Power Supplies - Drive requirements, modulation, sample circuits for low and high power devices.
• Helium-Neon Lasers - Theory (simple), operation, sealed tube structure, characteristics, power requirements.
• HeNe Laser Testing, Adjustment, Repair - Problems, testing, mirror alignment, collimation, polarization, refilling.
• HeNe Laser Power Supplies - Requirements, types, plug-n-lase, matching tube to PS, testing, problems, repair.
• HeNe Laser Power Supply Design - AC line powered, low voltage inverters, starters, regulators, modulators.
• Complete HeNe Laser Power Supply Schematics - Includes 11 AC line and 5 inverter types, most you can build.
• Argon/Krypton Ion Lasers - General features and characteristics, basic power requirements, specific examples.
• Ar/Kr Ion Laser Testing, Maintenance, Repair - Tube life, problems, testing, general maintenance, alignment.
• Ar/Kr Ion Laser Power Supplies - Basic requirements, types, specific safety issues, testing, problems, repair.
• Ar/Kr Ion Laser Power Supply Design - AC line front-ends, igniters, linear and switchmode regulators, protection.
• Complete Ar/Kr Ion Laser Power Supply Schematics - Both linear and switching types using common parts
• Carbon Dioxide Lasers - Characteristics and requirements, applications, small sealed tubes, gas fill, optics.
• Helium-Cadmium Lasers - Characteristics, power supplies, HeCd laser head and PSU troubleshooting.
• Solid State Lasers - Characteristics, types, pulsed/CW, Q-switching, frequency changing, common SS lasers.
• SS Laser Testing, Adjustment, Repair - Cleaning, cooling, alignment, tuning, beam quality and energy.
• SS Laser Power Supplies - Capacitor chargers, PFNs, PSUs using photoflash units, sources for special parts.
• Complete SS Laser Power Supply Schematics - Circuits for the Hughes ruby and YAG lasers, uYAG, more.

PART IV - Lasers Constructed from Basic Materials, Hardware, Optics, and Electronic Parts

• Amateur Laser Construction - Resources, safety, the home laser lab, supplies, vacuums, glass working, more.
• The Home-Built Laser Assembly and Power Supply - Structure, optics, mirror mounts, electrical components.
• Home-Built Laser Types, Information, and Links - Introduction to laser descriptions and "Light and its Uses". ToC.
• Home-Built Helium-Neon (HeNe) Laser - Much like the original gas laser from 1962 produces a red beam.
• Home-Built Pulsed Argon and/or Krypton (Ar/Kr) Ion Laser - A similar gas laser produces multiple color beam.
• Home-Built Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Laser - High power (10 to 50 W or more) flowing gas infra-red laser.
• Home-Built Nitrogen (N2) Laser - Pulsed ultraviolet laser that is easy to construct without fancy equipment.
• Home-Built Helium-Mercury (HeHg) and Other He-Metal-Vapor Lasers - Operation at multiple visible wavelengths.
• Home-Built Copper Chloride (CuCl) and Copper Bromide (CuBr) Laser - Pulsed intense yellow and green beam.
• Home-Built Dye Laser - Generate almost any color of the spectrum depending on which chemical dye is used.
• Home-Built Pulsed Multiple Gas (PMG) Laser - Simple design uses O2, Xe, Ar, Kr, or Ne; maybe even plain air.
• Home-Built Pulsed Solid State (PSS) Laser - Ruby or YAG using flashlamp pumping.
• Home-Built Diode Pumped Solid State (DPSS) Laser - Vanadate with KTP SHG for 1 mW to 5 W green output.

There is more information in the FAQ than is listed in this edited table of contents.  To see the full Sam's Laser FAQ from the beginning, click here.

A full copy of Sam's Laser FAQ is available as a .zip file for download from the Download section of the Backstage area.  This .zip file version is updated each time the FAQ is revised.

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