Coherent has now passed the milestone of 50,000 units shipped for the company’s Sapphire family of compact CW visible lasers. As the first solid-state alternative to bulky and energy inefficient gas lasers at the critical 488 nm wavelength, Sapphire lasers enjoyed early strong success mainly in life sciences and related instrumentation. However the unique power scaling and wavelength scaling inherent to Sapphire’s optically pumped semiconductor laser (OPSL) technology has enabled the company to continuously expand the product lineup with new wavelengths and power levels over Sapphire’s 20-plus year history to meet the demands of new and changing applications. For example, Sapphire is currently offered with a choice of nine different standard wavelengths between deep blue (458 nm) and orange (594 nm) to support new applications in metrology and other techniques in diverse industries including semiconductors. Yet all of these compact lasers still feature exactly the same form and fit, which has proved a particularly popular advantage for OEM customers with products often tied to quite different life cycles. In addition to standard products, custom versions of Sapphire with unique wavelengths and other output properties continue to be developed for OEM customers.
According to product line manager Martin Rohde, “Everyone involved with Sapphire is very excited about reaching this incredible milestone. Yet while we are proud of the past success this represents for both Coherent and our customers, we are all firmly focused on the present and very importantly on the future. Sapphire has always been characterized by innovation: from its pioneering role of being the world’s first eco-friendly blue laser, to single mode models, then fiber pigtailing, and the steadily expanded range of wavelengths, not to mention the 25X increase in maximum available power, all in the same package. Looking forward, we will continue to innovate and further develop this great product.”
