You are here: Home » Products » Pockels Cells and Drivers » BBO Pockels Cells

BBO Pockels Cells

BBO Pockels Cells Features:
  • minimal piezoelectric ringing
  • low absorption
  • broad trasmission range from 200 nm to 2000 nm
  • compact size

Applications:
  • high repetition rate DPSS Q-switch
  • high repetition rate regenerative amplifier control
  • cavity dumping
  • beam chopper
Pockels cell are used to change the polarization state of light passing through it when an voltage is applied to the electrodes of an electro-optic crystals such as BBO. When used in conjunction with polarizer, Pockels cells can be used as fast optical switches. Typical applications include Q-switching of the laser cavity, laser cavity dumping and coupling light into and from regenerative amplifiers.
BBO based Pockels cells can be useful at wavelengths from the UV to more than 2 μm. Low piezoelectric ringing makes these Pockels cells attractive for the control of high-power and high pulse repetition rate lasers. Fast switching electronic drivers properly matched to the cell are available for Q-switching, cavity dumping and other applications.
 
Pockels cells of PCB series are transverse field devices. Low electro-optical coefficient of BBO results in high operating voltages. The quarter-wave voltage is proportional to the ratio of electrode spacing and crystal length. As a result, smaller aperture devices have lower quarter-wave, however even for 2.5 mm aperture devices the quarter-wave voltage is as high as 4 kV @ 1064 nm.
Double crystal design is employed to reduce required voltages and to allow operation in half-wave mode with fast switching times.

 

Model PCB3S PCB3D PCB4S PCB4D
Clear aperture diameter, mm 2.5 2.5 3.5 3.5
Crystal size (WxHxL), mm 3x3x20 3x3x20 4x4x20 4x4x20
Quantity of crystals 1 2 1 2
Quarter-wave voltage (@ 1064 nm), kV DC <3.5 <1.7 <4.6 <2.3
Capacitance, pF <4 <8 <3 <6
Optical transmission, % >98
Contrast ratio 1) >1000:1 >500:1 >1000:1 >500:1
Cell size, mm Ø25.4x37.2 Ø25.4x57.2 Ø25.4x37.2 Ø25.4x57.2

1) Measured by crossed polarizers method

All crystals are coated AR/AR@1064 nm. Other antireflection coatings are available under request. Damage threshold >5 J/cm2 for 10 ns pulses at 1064 nm.

Specifications are subject to chages without advance notice.

Code Item price, USD In stock Add to cart
PCB3S Request Request Add to cart
PCB3D Request Request Add to cart
PCB4S Request Request Add to cart
PCB4D Request Request Add to cart
Back