Many people in the market have been asking whether the laser diode should be single-mode or multi-mode. Today, Xiaobian will briefly tell you the difference between the two and give you the price.

Laser diode has become an indispensable core device in the fields of optical communication, precision measurement, medical equipment and industrial processing. With the development of technology, Single Mode LD and Multi Mode LD are widely used, but many customers often ask: What is the difference between them? Which is more suitable for my application? What about the price? Today we will make a clear analysis for you.

1. What are single-mode and multimode laser diodes?

1. Single mode laser diode

Single mode, as the name implies, means that there is only one transverse mode in the propagation process of light beam, with small spot and concentrated energy, and the emitted light has higher spatial and spectral purity. Its beam divergence angle is small, and the light spot is approximately Gaussian distribution, which is very suitable for scenes with strict beam quality requirements.

2. Multimode laser diode

Multi-mode means that there are multiple transverse modes at the same time, with larger spot area and relatively dispersed energy distribution. Although the beam quality is not as good as that of single mode, multimode laser diode has higher output power, which is suitable for applications with high power output requirements.

Second, the main difference between single mode and multimode

The differences between them can be understood from the following aspects:

1. Beam quality

Single mode: small light spot, strong focusing ability, and can realize long-distance and high-precision transmission.

Multi-mode: The light spot is large and the focusing ability is slightly poor, but it is suitable for short-distance high-power output.

2. Output power

Single mode: limited by the number of modes, the power is generally in the order of 100 MW.

Multi-mode: it can easily reach several watts or even higher, and is often used in high-power laser applications.

3. Spectral characteristics

Single mode: narrower spectral line and good wavelength stability, which is very suitable for optical communication, precision measurement and other scenes with strict wavelength requirements.

Multi-mode: The spectrum width is wider, and the wavelength shift is relatively obvious, but it still performs well in industrial, medical and other applications that do not require high spectrum width.

4. Cost and price

Single-mode: It requires higher production technology and chip design and strict processing accuracy, so the price is generally higher than that of multi-mode products.

Multi-mode: the structure is relatively simple, the manufacturing cost is lower and the price is more close to the people.

Third, application scenario comparison

1. Typical application of single-mode laser diode

Optical fiber communication: low loss and high bandwidth are required, and single-mode laser is the first choice.

Precision measurement and sensing: for example, laser interference and gas detection require extremely high spectral stability.

Medical beauty: some medical equipment needs to accurately control the beam energy distribution.

2. Typical application of multimode laser diode

Laser marking and cutting: high power demand, suitable for industrial processing.

Laser illumination and projection: higher brightness output is needed.

Medical treatment: such as laser surgery and physical therapy, usually requires a large power output.

4. Which price is more expensive?

The price of single-mode laser diode is generally higher than that of multimode laser diode. The reason is:

1. The design of single-mode chip is complex, which requires high waveguide structure;

2. The yield is lower and the cost is higher in the production process;

3. Market positioning is concentrated in the high-end precision field.

Multi-mode laser diodes are relatively cheap, but in high-power applications, even if the price of a single device is low, the overall system configuration cost may rise.

Therefore, in the actual selection, we should not only look at the price, but also combine the application scenarios and performance requirements:

If you need high-precision and long-distance transmission, it is recommended to choose single-mode laser diode.

If your demand is high power output and the beam quality is not high, then multimode laser diode is more economical and practical.

Single-mode laser diode and multimode laser diode have their own advantages:

Single mode: high beam quality and good spectral purity, but limited power and higher price.

Multi-mode: high power, more affordable, but relatively average beam quality.

In practical application, enterprises and scientific research users should choose according to their own needs, instead of blindly pursuing "the more expensive the better", they should choose the "most suitable".

As a professional supplier of laser diodes, we not only provide a full range of single-mode and multi-mode products, but also provide customers with guidance and technical support for the selection of application scenarios. If you have procurement requirements or application questions about laser devices, please feel free to contact us, and we will provide you with the most professional solutions.