Although in the past DataRay CMOS beam profiling cameras were listed with a wavelength range of 355-1350 nm due to assumed sensor deterioration by short wavelength light, recent testing has demonstrated the CMOS sensor can image ultraviolet (UV) light down to 266 nm without sensor degradation; in this blog post we describe the test results.

Our customers often ask us what type of beam profiler they should use to measure their laser beam(s). In this blog post, we explain the relative advantages and disadvantages of a scanning slit profiler and a camera-based profiler.

In this blog post, we explain why tilting our filters is necessary for an accurate beam measurement.

CMOS and CCD image sensor technology was developed in the 1960s. Although for the last forty years CCD sensors have dominated the market, improvements in CMOS sensor design have catapulted them to a growing market share and the CMOS seems poised to replace the CCD in many applications. Often times, customers familiar with the past advantages of CCD sensors question the use of CMOS image sensors in laser beam profiling cameras. We seek to provide a short overview of the CMOS sensor’s advantages and the improvements that have enabled it to become a contender in the image sensor market.

One of the most important measurements in laser beam profiling is the beam width measurement. A common question we see is “How small of a beam can I measure with this camera?” Generally, we recommend that the user ensures that they cover at least 10 camera pixels along each axis to get a good measurement. The rest of this blog post will examine why we provide this guideline, discuss the theory behind it, and use some measured data gathered from several DataRay cameras to validate the theory. We will also provide what approximate error values to expect when covering small numbers of pixels.

We've posted a new application note for our new WinCamD-LCM beam profiling camera...

Laser beam profilers, whether they are beam profiling cameras or scanning slit beam profilers, record and display the characteristics of the spatial intensity of a laser beam or other form of light. There are a number of factors to consider when looking to acquire a laser beam profiler...