Specification :

By virtue of having no moving parts our acousto-optic modulators (AOMs) are able to amplitude modulate a laser beam at very high speed. For example modulation bandwidths in excess of 50MHz are readily achievable.
In an AOM a laser beam is caused to interact with a high frequency ultrasonic sound wave inside an optically polished block of crystal or glass (the interaction medium). By carefully orientating the laser with respect to the sound waves the beam can be made to reflect off the acoustic wavefronts (Bragg diffraction). Therefore, when the sound field is present the beam is deflected and when it is absent the beam passes through undeviated. By switching the sound field on and off very rapidly the deflected beam appears and disappears in response (digital modulation). By varying the amplitude of the acoustic waves the intensity of the deflected beam can similarly be modulated (analogue modulation).
By virtue of having no moving parts our acousto-optic modulators (AOMs) are able to amplitude modulate a laser beam at very high speed. For example modulation bandwidths in excess of 50MHz are readily achievable.
In an AOM a laser beam is caused to interact with a high frequency ultrasonic sound wave inside an optically polished block of crystal or glass (the interaction medium). By carefully orientating the laser with respect to the sound waves the beam can be made to reflect off the acoustic wavefronts (Bragg diffraction). Therefore, when the sound field is present the beam is deflected and when it is absent the beam passes through undeviated. By switching the sound field on and off very rapidly the deflected beam appears and disappears in response (digital modulation). By varying the amplitude of the acoustic waves the intensity of the deflected beam can similarly be modulated (analogue modulation