Green

The term green laser refers to a laser source operating in the 532 nm region of the visible green spectrum. In this type of laser, the generated fundamental wavelength of a DPSS laser (direct excitation solid-state laser) is halved by special optical components. The generated laser beam then has several benefits, in particular increased absorption in a wide range of materials from metals to some plastics or glass. Conversely, the downside is that the conversion from fundamental wavelength results in a loss of laser power, and the added optical components also slightly increase the price for such a device. However, due to its properties, green laser light is very suitable in applications where a conventional IR laser is not sufficient, for example, for describing plastics that contain even a small additive content. It is also suitable for the description of sandwich layers, where a contrasting description can be achieved in a dark interlayer. Due to the shorter wavelength, the beam can also be better focused and a smaller spot diameter can be achieved. This can be advantageously used, for example, in paint ablation, where high contrast and maximum detail is the goal, even for small features.

Another example is the marking of glass, for which the green laser can be used. For this application, it is preferable to use a UV laser (typically 315-340 nm), which is produced by further modification of the green laser beam.