Posted on May 11, 2010.
Why blue laser pointers are much more expensive than green laser pointers One of the most obvious differences between a blue laser pointer and a green laser pointer is the price. A blue laser pointer 10 MW will cost $ 700 compared to the price of the equivalent 15mW green laser pointer that cost $ 100.
This is not just blue laser pointers are more expensive. blue laser modules, lasers and laser OEM laboratory are also much more expensive than their counterparts in green. The reasons for such large price differences are the processes used to generate the laser beam, the components used that the manufacturing volumes.
beam generation process
The blue and green laser pointers use a pump diode which emits infrared light 808nm which is used to pump the same type of crystals. The crystals pumped in turn give light in the infrared spectrum. The difference between blue and green lasers is the optical coating on crystals and pumping the type of measurement of infrared light produced by these crystals.
The crystals pumped into a green laser pointer have an optical coating that causes the crystals to give the most 1064nm infrared light that is frequency doubled by another crystal to 532nm green light. The crystals pumped into a blue laser pointer has a different coating that causes the crystals to give the most 946nm infrared light that is frequency doubled by another crystal to 473nm light.
Components
The process of producing light 1064 is much more efficient than making light 946nm blue laser pointers, so need a diode pump large to produce the same power. The large diode pump laser pointers blue is more expensive. The frequency doubling crystal blue laser pointers are rarer and more expensive than green laser pointers.
manufacturing volumes
Green laser pointers have a better visibility than the blue laser pointers and have problems at lower temperature higher power. This means that green lasers are used for many different applications such as astronomy, pointing, burning and signaling and are manufactured in high volumes. blue laser pointers, on the other hand are much more limited in their application and are manufactured in much smaller volumes. Like any product, the higher the volume produced, the more expensive the product is.
The article is courtesy of Dragonlasers - No. 1 lasers, laser pointer and green laser online store
