The InPut Optica BPU is a high-performance, water-cooled BBO Pockels cell designed for high-energy and high-repetition-rate laser systems. Combining a large optical aperture with active thermal management, the BPU series is engineered to minimise heating, thermal lensing and depolarisation in demanding high-power and ultrafast laser applications.
The BPU uses beta-barium borate (BBO) as its electro-optic crystal and is available in a range of aperture sizes from approximately 3.6 mm to 11.6 mm. Single- and double-crystal configurations are available. The double-crystal design reduces the required quarter-wave switching voltage, helping to support faster switching and higher repetition rates while maintaining the high damage threshold associated with BBO.
With optical transmission of >99% and low insertion loss, the BPU is designed to minimise losses within high-power optical systems. Depending on configuration, extinction ratios reach 1000:1, while the specified damage threshold exceeds 10 J/cm² at 10 ns. InPut Optica reports testing of the BPU structure at optical powers up to 700 W and pulse repetition rates up to 500 kHz, demonstrating its suitability for demanding high-power laser architectures.
The integrated water-cooling system provides efficient heat removal from the Pockels cell, helping to maintain stable electro-optic performance during sustained operation. This is particularly valuable for high-average-power and high-repetition-rate ultrafast lasers, where dielectric heating can otherwise affect switching performance and beam quality.
The BPU is available for wavelengths spanning approximately 190 nm to beyond 2.2 µm, subject to the selected crystal and coating configuration. Applications include pulse picking, optical switching, regenerative amplifiers and pulse coupling for picosecond and femtosecond laser systems.InPut Optica BPU Water-Cooled BBO Pockels Cell
