IR Infrared Laser Diodes

Infrared (or IR for short) laser diodes are the most widely used diode in applications like cd players, laser cutting or etching, and laser surgery. IR laser diodes are very cheap for how powerful they can be.

There are many wavelengths available for Infrared laser diodes. The infrared wavelength tends to start around 700nm and up. These higher wavelengths are not or barely visible to the human eye. The dot will appear a very faint red color if anything at all. This makes infrared laser diodes very dangerous, as you wont have a blink reflex when exposed to this invisible light. Make sure to use extreme care and wear IR safety goggles when handling IR lasers.

Infrared lasers may not be visible to our eyes, but IR wavelengths are visible to cameras. This makes them useful in applications like night vision.

Here’s a robust high-powered IR laser diode for a great price:

 

IR Infrared Laser Diode Applications

Infrared laser diodes are used to create visible laser wavelengths by using crystals. These lasers are called DPSS lasers, which stand for Diode Pumped Solid State. Since there are limited wavelengths that are produced by laser diodes, infrared lasers are very useful. The most common and inexpensive DPSS laser is 532nm. Inside of every green 532nm laser pointer there is actually a IR laser diode and a set of crystals. There are also a few other exotic laser wavelengths such as 473nm, and 589nm. But these are very expensive and not so stable.