Gentec Power Detectors

Thermopile detectors for laser power measurement use a temperature difference to create a voltage. On one side, the material heated by a laser (or any other radiation source), and on the other side is a heatsink. The laser’s energy that is absorbed by the material is converted to heat.

With the hot absorber on one surface and the cold heatsink on the other, there is a temperature difference across the thermo-electric device as the heat flows through it. This temperature difference causes the thermopile to generate a voltage. That voltage is proportional to the temperature difference, which in turn is proportional to the laser power.

Compared to thermopiles, photodiodes are faster, are less affected by temperature fluctuations and have lower noise levels. On the other hand, their high sensitivity makes them susceptible to noise coming from ambient light.

For high energy density pulsed Nd:YAG lasers we recommend the UP19K-15S-VR or the UP19K-30H-VR for average power measurements up to 30W.

For CW lasers with powers up to 15W we recommend the UP19K-15S-H5. If you are looking for power measurements on high repetition rate lasers with ultrashort pulses, such as those emitted by the Pharos system from Light Conversion, the UP19K-15S-W5 is ideal. For low power measurements we recommend the XLP12-3S-H2.

Modular concept with different cooling modules
Fast rise times of less than 1.3 seconds
Single shot energy up to 200J
High durability absorber
High damage threshold up to 100GW/cm2

Measuring laser output on high energy density pulsed Nd:YAG lasers

CW lasers powers measurement

Laser power measurements on high repetition rate lasers with ultrashort pulses

Laser power measurement on low power lasers