Safety with Tunable Lasers: Things to Look Out For (Not things to Look Into)

Tunable lasers in one form or another are popping up in all sorts of applications, from Medical to Research and Development. In a previous article, Ron Schaeffer discussed his dream of having a fully tunable laser dynamic enough for various applications. For the purposes of this article, a fully tunable laser is a device that is capable of changing the operating frequency of the wavelength within one laser system. With the unprecedented process performance improvements this technology promises, it is inevitable that before too long we will see this technology fully integrated into industrial processes. Unfortunately, off-the-charts performance is not all these devices bring to the table. Where does a Laser Safety Officer (LSO) start when it comes to protecting their team and others from every photonic wavelength from far infrared (IR) to extreme ultraviolet (UV)?