Many people ask whether fiber lasers are semiconductor lasers and want to know the difference between them. Today xiaobian will give you a brief introduction.

In recent years, more and more people have come into contact with laser equipment. When talking about projects, many customers always ask, "What's the difference between fiber lasers and semiconductor lasers? Are they not all lasers? "

To tell the truth, this question seems simple, but if you really want to talk it through, you have to rely on some experience and on-the-spot knowledge.

Let's start with the structure.

Semiconductor laser (also called laser diode) is the kind of laser that directly depends on the semiconductor chip itself to emit light. After the current passes through the PN junction, the carriers recombine to produce stimulated radiation, which forms the laser. It is small in size, high in efficiency and simple in structure, and lights up when it is electrified. We usually come into contact with laser marking machines, small rangefinders, medical equipment and laser beauty instruments, many of which use semiconductor lasers.

The fiber laser is more "particular". Its core light source also comes from the semiconductor laser diode, but it is only a "pumping source". What really outputs laser is the fiber doped with rare earth ions. Diodes inject light into the optical fiber, where it is amplified and shaped many times, and the final output beam quality is very high. Simply put, fiber laser is an "evolutionary version" based on semiconductor laser technology, which is more stable and more suitable for high-power applications.

In terms of reliability, fiber laser has obvious advantages.

Its cavity is completely enclosed in optical fiber, which is not afraid of dust and vibration, and its life span is tens of thousands of hours.

Although semiconductor lasers have the same long life, problems such as heat dissipation, spot drift and output power attenuation are more likely to occur, especially when the ambient temperature is high, which will test the packaging and circuit design.

Fiber laser is more suitable for occasions with high precision, high power and high stability requirements, such as metal cutting, precision welding and 3D printing. The semiconductor laser is more suitable for occasions with low power, cost sensitivity and limited volume, such as beauty, plastic welding, medical irradiation, detection and ranging. The laser industry is actually quite realistic. What is behind the beam is reliability, thermal management, optical path design and packaging technology. Many customers look at a beam of light and think it's all the same, but it's far from it.