Laser Diode Driver, Precision, 4A, 15V, GPIB, 220 VAC

The LDX-3232 High Compliance Laser Diode Driver is the industry's only laser diode driver specifically developed for controlling high compliance voltage devices such as quantum cascade laser diodes. Careful attention to design allows these drivers to deliver up to 4A of low noise current at up to 15V with a stability of better than 20ppm. This performance is critical for development of room temperature quantum cascade lasers and spectroscopic applications using quantum cascade lasers. In addition to precision current control, the LDX-3232 is loaded with standard features such as dual current ranges, constant power control, fine/coarse set point control, laser current and voltage measurement, photodiode current display modes, forward voltage adjustment and measurement, and an external modulation input.

Furthermore, all of the ILX Lightwave^® proven laser diode protection strategies have been designed into each model including slow start, adjustable current limits and compliance voltage, intermittent contact protection, and shorting relays. In addition, the LDX-3232 accepts a TTL input that can be configured to turn off the output to the laser diode in an over-temperature condition.

Remote operation in an R&D or production environment is afforded through the GPIB/IEEE-488 interface and a TTL output trigger. For virtual instrument programming, LabVIEW^® instrument drivers are available free of charge. LabVIEW instrument drivers can be downloaded from the Literature and Downloads tab on this page.

We offer a wide variety of precision laser diode mounts with plug and play compatibility with our laser diode instrumentation.

Ease of Operation

The front panel of the LDX-3200 Series Laser Diode Driver offers quick, easy operation and information display without confusing multi-layer menus. A bright, 5-digit, green LED display is easy to read from a distance, even with laser safety eyewear. Laser control is directly addressable from the front panel "adjust" section including a "fine adjustment" function for more precise control for sensitive operating parameters. Instrument parameters and modes are easily selected or adjusted through discrete pushbuttons and a rotary digital encoder. For automated testing or control applications, remote programming and control of the driver is easily accomplished through the GPIB/IEEE-488 interface. All driver functions are accessible through the interface bus, with commands based on a set of easy to- use mnemonics. Higher resolution measurements of current and voltage are also available through the GPIB interface. The LDX-3200 Series architecture simplifies routine maintenance. Closed-case calibration can be performed from the front panel or the GPIB interface. The instrument is placed in calibration mode through a unique combination of front panel push button presses or GPIB commands.

Setting the Standard in Laser Diode Protection

Laser diodes are extremely sensitive to electro-static discharge, excessive current levels, current spikes, or transients from power surges or other laboratory equipment. One of the most important features we have implemented into each instrument is the ILX Lightwave proven laser diode protection standards. These standards have led to advanced protection features such as clamping current limits, even under modulated conditions. In addition, exclusive braid-shielded cables have been specifically designed to suppress radiated noise and transients commonly found in laboratory or production environments. During power up, the laser is protected from over current and turn-on transient conditions by a slow start routine designed to ramp the current to the desired set point referred to as slow-start. These protection features work in conjunction with all instrument modes of operation, providing worry-free, fail-safe control of your laser diode.

Precision High Stability, Low Noise Laser Control

Laser diodes act as a gain medium. Small drive current fluctuations due to noise and drift are amplified optically. Because of this, a controller with a lower noise and stable output is required to ensure precise wavelength and power control. Each LDX-3200 Current Source offers digital 16-bit control and measurement allowing setpoint accuracies of +0.05%. Careful attention to design delivers source stability as low as 10ppm with low noise for precise control of laser diodes.

A Choice of Laser Diode Control Modes

Each laser diode driver’s laser current source can be operated in one of three modes:

• Constant current, low bandwidth: optimized for DC operation and offers improved laser protection and lowest noise
• Constant current, high bandwidth: the output stage supports up to 1MHz modulation frequency for dithering the laser current in power and wavelength tuning applications.
• Constant optical power: provides constant optical power operation of your laser diode by measuring the photocurrent from the laser diode’s rear-facet photodiode or an external photodiode in a feedback control loop to the current source.