styropyro
patreon
UV lasers
🕑 Added 2021-01-10 00:30:08 +0000 UTCAs far as I know, this UV laser pointer I built in 2019 is still the only true UV laser pointer in the world. However, that is going to change soon as I just took part in a group order with some other laser nerds for some stronger UV laser diode engineering samples. The new ones are rated for 250mW at 375nm, which is quite a bit more powerful than this 5mW or so pointer I built. Unfortunately the supplier is acting fishy and I may have to wait a while to receive mine, but I'm still excited to play with it.
Does anybody have any ideas on what I should do with mine when I get it? The wavelength is still quite long for any significant sanitizing effects, so unfortunately this won't be a covid killing laser. :D however the nearly invisible output and strong tendency for fluorescence in materials could make some cool effects!
Comments
Le Agente
Quantum dots work off of UV light, so maybe you could get some vials and light them up with your UV laser? I'm not sure the exact wavelengths they respond to, so you'd have to verify they'd work with your diodes first.
styropyro
this is a cool idea! interestingly i have a laser light engine from a prototype laser phosphor display that uses this same concept (made by prysm inc.) it's like a CRT TV with the electron beam replaced with a high power violet laser array
Faraz Sadrzadeh
Using a Galvo, make an oscilloscope. The UV diode sweeps across a phosphor screen to plot waveforms. In a CRT, an electron beam does it. Galvos take analog voltages in and convert them into movement.
styropyro
it looks like this laser's wavelength is just barely above what is blocked by ZnO sunscreen and quite a bit above what's blocked by PABA sunscreens. lasers with shorter UV wavelengths would be blocked by most sunscreens though
Christopher Bauder
I've always wondered how well UV lasers work against sunscreen and sunglasses, since their main purpose is to block UV light. Maybe that would be a good thing to test?
styropyro
actually i just had an idea. maybe I could modify my laser cube and stick in a UV laser diode, and then use it to project graphics on a glow in the dark surface. the idea is inspired by this absolutely incredible laser display that uses violet lasers instead of UV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rzhvSwxmkI
