Ultrafast Laser Instrumentation

Jan 28, 2021
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Data Sheet

Our current product-line includes a single shot autocorrelator, capable of measuring few cycle pulses with interferometric resolution, and an innovative SHG single shot FROG. Both are suitable for several wavelength ranges (from UV to mid-IR) and seve

1. Advanced Ultrashort Laser Pulse Characterization Device

STF series advanced ultrashort laser pulse characterization device is a real-time ultrashort laser pulse characterization device specifically engineered to provide a high-resolution measurement for ultrafast oscillators and amplifiers. It is an essential piece of equipment for everyone who depends on accurate information about properties of their ultra-short pulses. With the device you get more than just a single result. You can watch your pulse evolving in real time.

Part number	STF
Fourier transform-limited pulse duration	60 - 400 fs
Input central wavelength	1010 - 1070 nm (other on request)
Maximum chirped pulse duration	4 ps
Maximum dispersion	＜80000 fs2
Repetition rate	1 kHz — 200 MHz
Sensitivity	＞0.5nJ at 80MHz; ＞100nJ at 1kHz
Input polarization	Linear, vertical
Integrated high-resolution spectrometer (USB 2.0)	Included
User-friendly software and manual	Included
Automated tuning	Optional
Electrical: Manual version Automated version	USB powered (5V, 500mA) 100-240VAC, 50/60Hz, ＜70W
Operating temperature	15-25oC
Operating humidity	Non-condensing
Size (including spectrometer) (LxWxH)	430x200x55mm

2. STFE Series Ultrafast Instrumentation (No Alignment!)

We are a company specialized in ultrafast metrology. We have a strong expertise in the production and characterization of high energy ultrashort pulses and we provide robust and reliable measurement devices for ultrafast lasers, already in use in several state of the art laboratories.

Our current product-line includes all the useful instruments to characterize and manage ultrafast lasers. We provide innovative devices for temporal measurement (ROC and FROG), spectral measurement (MISS spectrometer) and spatial measurement (BeamPro). They are suitable for a broad wavelength range (from UV to mid-IR) and a large pulse duration range, from 5 fs to 80 ps. Our latest addition to our range of products is an innovative, ultra compact, frequency converter for harmonic generation directly coupled to your ultrafast laser.

Beside their intrinsic technical performances, our products are very easy to use, compact, portable and versatile, which make them the ideal tools for customer services. The products are associated with a high quality user-friendly software which contributes to making them easy and pleasant to use. We also make custom products upon request and provide our expertise on ultrafast metrology.

VERY EASY TO USE

Our 2 major products can be installed in only 2 minutes with no necessary calibration. It comes in an ultra compact (55x56x195mm) package for the long pulse model and a 55x56x265mm package for the fs one.

ACCURATE AND ALIGNMENT FREE

Our products are designed to provide accurate and reliable measurements, whatever the experimental conditions. They can yield proper measurements without caring about the accuracy of the alignment.

INTUITIVE, POWERFUL SOFTWARE

Our software can run either on Linux or Windows. It is highly optimized and specifically designed from the ground up to provide accurate control and readings of our products.

1. STFE Series Autocorrelators

Autocorrelators are used to measure pulse duration. The basic principle is to create two copies of the incoming beam, with a beam splitter. Those copies are superimposed in a nonlinear medium, where they interact generating a third beam. As the overlap of the two copies depends on the pulse duration, analysing the third beam allows to calculate the pulse duration.

We supply different types of autocorrelators. The ROC autocorrelator is a single-shot autocorrelator, thus it needs one single pulse to measure the duration. It is very compact and extremely easy to use. Only two minutes are necessary to get the measurement. The MS-ROC autocorrelator is a multi-shot autocorrelator. It uses an optical delay line to scan the delay, and each pulse allows to know the intensity for a particular delay. It can measure pulses with energy as low as 50 pJ.

1.1 STFE-ROC Series Ultra Compact Single-shot Autocorrelator (Alignment-free!)

ROC stands for Row Optical Correlator. Based on an ultra compact and robust inline setup, the ROC allows the measurement of single-shot autocorrelation traces. Specifically designed to offer the easiest user experience, they cannot be misaligned and no calibration or tweaking is needed. Also, they are easily transportable. And yes, they are rock-solid! Besides those advantages, the ROC autocorrelators provide excellent technical performances and highly accurate measurements. The ROC autocorrelators are available for different wavelength ranges and several pulse durations.

Features:

Ultra compact
Installation and measurement in less than 2 minutes! No calibration necessary
Suitable for any repetition rate
Single-pulse extraction possible up to 150 kHz laser repetition rate (with Enhanced detection option)
User-friendly and powerful software (STAR : Software Technology for Acquisition and Retrieval)
Input pulse energy from few pJ to few mJ
Acceptable average power up to 3.5 W
Pulse measurement from 5 fs to 10 ps
Broad available spectral range

Models			STFE-ROC-FC	STFE-ROC-FS	STFE-ROC-PS1	STFE-ROC-PS3	STFE-ROC-PS5	STFE-ROC-PS10
Pulse duration range		min	5 fs	20 fs	50 fs	70 fs	100 fs	300 fs
		max	150 fs	500 fs	1 ps	3 ps	5 ps	10 ps
Accessible spectral range (nm)			480 - 21001					800 - 21001
Input pulse repetition rate			single-shot to GHz2
Single-pulse measurement			up to 150 kHz laser repetition rate (with Enhanced detection option, or 40 kHz without)
Min input pulse energy3	Single-shot		1 µJ (10 nJ with low-energy option)
	1 MHz		10 nJ (500 pJ with low-energy option)
	1 GHz		50 pJ (low-energy option required)
Input polarization			linear horizontal or vertical
Detection			CMOS 12 Bits - 3 Mpx - 72 dB
PC Interface			USB 3.1 (or GigE as an option)
Beam height (mm)			adjustable from 30 mm
Dimensions (mm)			55 x 56 x 265		55 x 56 x 195

Effective spectral bandwidth to be defined within the accessible spectral range according to customer’s requirements
The measurements are averaged over several pulses for laser with repetition rate higher than 150 kHz. Custom versions available on request. For lower power and wider pulse duration ranges, Multi-Shot scanning versions are available (STFE-MS-ROC).
Those values give an order of magnitude. The exact sensitivity depends on many parameters (pulse duration, beam profile, wavelength…)

Options

Enhanced detection: Replacement of the default camera embedded in the ROC by a higher performance one to increase the specifications of the system (better temporal resolution, single-shot extraction up to 150 kHz)
Fiber input connector: Plug & play collimation module with fiber connector. Can be mounted on the ROC to easily switch the input from free-space to fiber. No alignment required.
High dynamic range: Software mode to increase the dynamic of the ROC signal acquisition from 12 to 16 bits. Not compatible with pure single-shot measurement as 2 images are necessary to build one autocorrelation trace
Low energy: Internal or external module (depending on ROC model) to increase the sensitivity of the device when the laser power is too weak
Phase matching: Default ROC configuration works for a given central wavelength. Phase matching allows tuning the SHG crystal to measure different central wavelengths with the best SNR
Small beam: Internal or external module (depending on ROC model) to increase the input beam diameter when it is too small (necessary for beams typically in the range of few mm or less)
Trigger: Synchronization of the ROC detection to an external signal for accurate laser single pulse extraction up to 80 kHz (150 kHz with the Enhanced detection option)

Software:

Our software has been designed to be user friendly and intuitive. This is a modern software compatible with touchscreen that can run either under Linux or Windows. It allows distant control of the devices via PC, tablet or smartphone. We can also provide custom software developments upon request.

Live extraction of shot to shot pulse duration
Different calculation methods available for proper pulse estimation (Raw data FWHM, Gaussian fit, sech2…)
Enhanced background & hot pixels treatment, for optimum dynamic and signal to noise ratio
Client / Server interface, allowing remote control through network
All data exportable into most common formats

Measurement of few cycle pulses: This is an autocorrelation measurement sample of ultrashort pulse that has been performed in Politecnico di Milano with our short pulse model autocorrelator. On the top, the raw image of the spatially resolved autocorrelation trace. At the bottom, the analysed autocorrelation trace integrated over the spatial coordinate. The experimental data (in red) are fitted by a Gaussian function (in blue). The full width at half maximum of the autocorrelation trace is 8.3 fs. The corresponding Gaussian pulse duration is 5.9 fs.

Measurement of low energy pulses : This measurement has been performed on a femtosecond Ti:Sapphire oscillator at LCAR with our autocorrelator. The average power used for the measurement was with only 20 mW at 62 MHz repetition rate. It means that in this conditions 0.3 nJ per pulse was enough to get a clean measurement. At the bottom, the raw image of the spatially resolved autocorrelation trace. On the top, the analysed autocorrelation trace integrated over the spatial coordinate. The experimental data (in blue) are fitted by a Gaussian function (in red). The full width at half maximum of the autocorrelation trace is 30.4 fs for a Gaussian pulse duration of 21.5 fs.

1.2 STFE-MS-ROC Series Multi-shot Autocorrelators

MS-ROC stands for Multi-Shot Row Optical Correlator. The MS-ROC allows the measurement of autocorrelation traces. It is based on second harmonic generation, making it reliable and compact. It has been specially developed for sources with sub-nJ energy per pulse. It allows the measurement of pulses from 50 fs to 40 ps in the standard version. With its high scan speed, real-time operations is possible for measurement and optimization. The MS-ROC-LP can perform scan at 130 ps/s, making it the fastest scanning autocorrelator on the market. Also, the MS-ROC-SP allows the measurement of both ultra-short and long pulses thanks to its dual-mode (standard mode for pulse duration ＞ 50 fs and fine-scan mode for pulse ＜ 50 fs). Like every products, the MS-ROC is easy to install and use.

FEATURES

Ultra simple alignment (2 min to setup)
Large pulse duration measurement range (from 5 fs to 80 ps)
High sensitivity (sub-nJ pulse)
User-friendly and powerful software (STAR : Software Technology for Acquisition and retrieval)
Broad available spectral range
Fiber connector available (FC/APC, FC/PC)

Models		STFE-MS-ROC	STFE-MS-ROC-LP	STFE-MS-ROC-SP	STFE-MS-ROC-SLP
Pulse duration range	min	50 fs	100 fs	5 fs	25 fs
	max	40 ps	80 ps	40 ps	80 ps
Fine scan mode range		not applicable	not applicable	5 – 50 fs	25 – 500 fs
Accessible spectral range (nm)		480 - 2000 1
Minimum temporal resolution		6.7 fs	13.4 fs	standard : 6.7 fs fine scan : 0.1 fs	standard : 13.4 fs fine scan : 0.2 fs
Scan speed		＞ 65 ps/s	＞ 130 ps/s	standard : ＞ 65 ps/s fine scan : ＞ 50 fs/s	standard : ＞ 130 ps/s fine scan : ＞ 500 fs/s
Input pulse repetition rate		100 Hz to GHz 2
Min input pulse energy3	1 MHz	100 pJ	100 pJ	5 nJ	500 pJ
	100 MHz	5 pJ	5 pJ	500 pJ	50 pJ
Input polarization		linear vertical
Detection		CMOS 12 Bits – 3 Mpx – 72 dB
PC Interface		USB 3.1
Beam height (mm)		69 - 148
Dimensions (mm)		222 x 194 x 129		326 x 194 x 129

Effective spectral bandwidth to be defined within the accessible spectral range according to customer’s requirements.
Low repetition rate available as an option.
Those values give an order of magnitude. The exact sensitivity depends on many parameters (pulse duration, beam profile, wavelength…)

OPTIONS:

Additional crystals: The default MS-ROC configuration includes one crystal. To extend the wavelength range of the device, additional plug & play crystals can be ordered and swapped within the system in seconds
Fiber input connector: Plug play collimation module with fiber connector. Can be mounted on the MS-ROC to easily switch the input from free-space to fiber. No alignment required.
Low energy: Internal module to increase the sensitivity of the MS-ROC when the laser power is too weak
Low repetition rate: Synchronization mode to be used when the laser repetition rate is low. Mandatory for 100 Hz and lower, recommended from below 500 Hz
Phase matching: Default MS-ROC configuration works for a given central wavelength. Phase matching allows tuning the SHG crystal to measure different central wavelengths with the best SNR

SOFTWARE

Different calculation methods available for proper pulse estimation (Raw data FWHM, Gaussian fit, sech2…)
Enhanced treatment for real time simultaneous data extraction
Client / Server interface, allowing remote control through network
All data exportable into most common formats

2. STFE-FROG Series Characterization of Ultrashort Pulses

FROG stands for Frequency-resolved Optical Gating. It is a technique for a complete characterization of ultrashort pulses, thus it can retrieve the full time-dependant electric field, and the equivalent optical spectrum with spectral phase. In other words, FROG allow you to know the duration of your pulses, but also how to deal with spectral phase to reach the shortest possible duration.

We supply two types of FROG. The Fast FROG is a single-shot FROG, thus it needs one single pulse to measure the duration. Its innovative algorithm allow a real-time pulse retrieval. The MS-FROG is a multi-shot FROG. It uses an optical delay line to scan the delay, and each pulse allows to know the intensity for a particular delay. It can measure pulses with energy as low as 50 pJ. The same device can measure very short pulses and longn pulses, from 5 fs to 80 ps !

2.1 Fast FROG Series Single-shot Measurement

FROG stands for Frequency Resolved Optical Gating. Based on Second Harmonic Generation, Fast FROG is reliable and compact. Key design features, such as the wavefront division technique and the use of our mini imaging spectrometer MISS, make the Fast FROG very easy to use and versatile while leading to accurate measurements. Six models are available, covering different pulse duration ranges from sub-5 fs to 10 ps, over a broad spectral range. Two designs are available: one for long pulses mainly relying on transmission optics, and one for ultrashort pulses which is fully achromatic.

Key features

Easy to use: no calibration and no tweaking necessary
User-friendly and powerful software
Can access Spatio-Temporal couplings (Spatial Chirp, Pulse Front Tilt)
Versatile: instant-swap of spectrometer for different wavelength ranges
Single-pulse extraction possible up to 150 kHz laser repetition rate (with Enhanced detection option)
Achromatic and non-dispersive (FC and FS models)
Sub-5 fs can be measured

Models			STFE-FROG-FC	STFE-FROG-FS	STFE-FROG-PS1	STFE-FROG-PS3	STFE-FROG-PS5	STFE-FROG-PS10
Pulse duration range		min	4 fs	10 fs	50 fs	100 fs	150 fs	300 fs
		max	150 fs	250 fs	1 ps	3.5 ps	5 ps	10 ps
Accessible spectral range (nm)			480 - 21001					800 - 21001
Spectral Window Δλ (nm)			580 1	420 1	300 1
Input pulse repetition rate			single-shot to GHz2
Single-pulse measurement			Up to 150 kHz laser repetition rate (with Enhanced detection option, or 40 kHz without)
Min input pulse energy 3	Single-shot		250 µJ	1 µJ	1 µJ
	1 kHz		10 µJ	100 nJ	50 nJ
	50 MHz		20 nJ	1 nJ	200 pJ
	1 GHz		n/a	50 pJ	25 pJ
Input polarization			linear horizontal or vertical
Detection			CMOS 12 Bits - 3 Mpx - 72 dB
PC Interface			USB 3.1 (or GigE as an option)
Beam height (mm)			69 - 148
Dimensions (mm)			326 x 194 x 129

Effective spectral bandwidth to be defined within the accessible spectral range according to customer’s requirements. Additional spectrometers can be provided to address different spectral windows.
The measurements are averaged over several pulses for laser with repetition rate higher than 150 kHz.
Those values give an order of magnitude, with "low energy" option when applicable. The exact sensitivity depends on many parameters (pulse duration, beam profile, wavelength...)

Options:

Additional crystals: The default Fast FROG configuration includes one crystal. To extend the wavelength range of the device, additional plug & play crystals can be ordered and swapped within the system in seconds
Additional MISS spectrometer: The default Fast FROG configuration includes one imaging spectrometer MISS. To extend the wavelength range of the device, additional plug & play MISS spectrometers can be ordered and swapped within the system in seconds
Enhanced detection: Replacement of the default camera embedded in the Fast FROG by a higher performance one to increase the specifications of the system (better temporal resolution and spectral resolution, single pulse extraction up to 150 kHz)
Fiber input connector: Plug & play collimation module with fiber connector. Can be mounted on the Fast FROG to easily switch the input from free-space to fiber. No alignment required.
High dynamic range: Software mode to increase the dynamic of the Fast FROG signal acquisition from 12 to 16 bits. Not compatible with pure single-shot measurement as 2 images are necessary to build one FROG trace
Low energy: Internal module to increase the sensitivity of the Fast FROG when the laser power is too weak
Phase loop: Software mode to use the Fast FROG to perform spectral phase feedback loop with a pulse shaper (contact use to check pulse shaper compatibility)
Phase matching: Default Fast FROG configuration works for a given central wavelength. Phase matching allows tuning the SHG crystal to measure different central wavelengths with the best SNR
Pulse Front Tilt / Spatial Chirp measurement: Measurement of spatio-temporal couplings in the software. Correction of FROG trace accordingly for better accuracy of the retrieval
Small beam: Internal module to increase the input beam diameter when it is too small for the Fast FROG (necessary for beams typically in the range of few mm or less)
Trigger: Synchronization of the Fast FROG detection to an external signal for accurate laser single pulse extraction up to 80 kHz (150 kHz with the Enhanced detection option)

2.2 MS-FROG Series Multi-shot Measurements

MS-FROG stands for Multi-Shot Frequency Resolved Optical Gating. The MS-FROG is based on second harmonic generation, making it reliable and compact. It has been specially developed for sources with energy per pulse of less than 1 nJ. It allows the measurement of pulses from 50 fs to 40 ps in the standard version. The scan speed is so high that it allows real-time operations for measurement and optimization. The MS-FROG-LP can perform scan at 130 ps/s, making it the fastest scanning FROG on the market. Also, the MS-FROG-SP allows the measurement of both ultra-short and long pulses thanks to its dual-mode (standard mode for pulse duration ＞ 50 fs and fine-scan mode for pulse ＜ 50 fs). On top of that, our recently developed algorithm allows to extract information from each recorded spectra instantaneously, leading to real time reconstruction of your pulses! Like every products, the MS-FROG is easy to install and use.

Key features

User-friendly: no calibration and no tweaking necessary
Versatile: instant-swap of spectrometer for different wavelength ranges
Large pulse duration measurement range (from 5 fs to 80 ps)
User-friendly and powerful software
High sensitivity (sub-nJ pulse)
Broad available spectral range

Models		STFE-MS-FROG	STFE-MS-FROG-SP	STFE-MS-FROG-LP	STFE-MS-FROG-SLP
Pulse duration range	min	50 fs	5 fs	100 fs	25 fs
	max	40 ps	40 ps	80 ps	80 ps
Fine scan mode range		not applicable	5 - 50 fs	not applicable	25 - 500 fs
Accessible spectral range (nm)		500 - 20001
Spectral Window Δλ (nm)		From 200 to 700 1
Minimum temporal resolution		6.7 fs	standard : 6.7 fs fine scan : 0.1 fs	13.4 fs	standard : 13.4 fs fine scan : 0.2 fs
Scan speed		＞ 65 ps/s	standard : ＞ 65 ps/s fine scan : ＞ 50 fs/s	＞ 130 ps/s	standard : ＞ 130 ps/s fine scan : ＞ 500 fs/s
Input pulse repetition rate		100 Hz to GHz 2
Min input pulse energy 3	1 MHz	500 pJ	10 nJ	500 pJ	1 nJ
	100 MHz	50 pJ	1 nJ	50 pJ	100 pJ
Input polarization		linear vertical
Detection		CMOS 12 Bits - 3 Mpx - 72 dB
PC Interface		USB 3.1
Beam height (mm)		69 - 148
Dimensions (mm)		326 x 194 x 129

Effective spectral bandwidth to be defined within the accessible spectral range according to customer’s requirements. Additional spectrometers can be provided to address different spectral windows.
Low repetition rate available as an option
Those values give an order of magnitude. The exact sensitivity depends on many parameters (pulse duration, beam profile, wavelength...)

Options:

Additional crystals: The default MS-FROG configuration includes one crystal. To extend the wavelength range of the device, additional plug & play crystals can be ordered and swapped within the system in seconds
Additional MISS spectrometer: The default MS-FROG configuration includes one imaging spectrometer MISS. To extend the wavelength range of the device, additional plug & play MISS spectrometers can be ordered and swapped within the system in seconds
Fiber input connector: Plug & play collimation module with fiber connector. Can be mounted on the MS-FROG to easily switch the input from free-space to fiber. No alignment required.
Low energy: Internal module to increase the sensitivity of the MS-FROG when the laser power is too weak
Low repetition rate: Synchronization mode to be used when the laser repetition rate is low. Mandatory for 100 Hz and lower, recommended from below 500 Hz
Phase matching: Default MS-FROG configuration works for a given central wavelength. Phase matching allows tuning the SHG crystal to measure different central wavelengths with the best SNR

2.3 Software

Furthermore it is very user friendly, the FROG software comes with an optimized retrieval algorithm, that allows you to retrieve time and spectral information in real time.

Live extraction of shot to shot pulse properties: temporal profile intensity and phase, fundamental spectrum and phase, Chirp, Third-order dispersion...
Several algorithms (including the Ptychographic Iterative Engine) are combined to enhance the reconstruction speed and quality
Enhanced background & hot pixels treatment, for optimum dynamic and signal to noise ratio
Client / Server interface, allowing remote control through network
All data exportable into most common formats