Development and manufacturing of fiber lasers, supercontinuum lasers and photonic crystal fibers.
Hamamatsu Photonics A/S (Lasers & Fibers)
Birkerød (DK) · Hudiksvall (SE) · Southampton (UK) · Regensdorf (CH) · Wilmington, MA (USA) · Cologne (DE) · Berlin (DE)New on Amplifa
About Hamamatsu Photonics A/S
Hamamatsu Photonics A/S (formerly NKT Photonics) is the Lasers & Fibers Business Unit of the Hamamatsu Photonics Group, headquartered in Birkerød, Denmark. The company develops and manufactures supercontinuum white light lasers (SuperK), single-frequency fiber lasers (Koheras), ultrafast fiber lasers (aeroPULSE), femtosecond solid-state lasers (ORIGAMI), picosecond pulsed diode lasers (PILAS) and a broad range of photonic crystal fibers (PCF). Manufacturing covers specialty glass fibers and silica-based fiber preforms as well as fibers doped with erbium, ytterbium and thulium; the lasers are fully fiber-integrated and designed to be alignment-free and maintenance-free. Fields of application include medicine and life science (imaging, OCT, ophthalmology), industry (semiconductors, micromachining, quality control), aerospace/defense as well as quantum and nanotechnology. The products operate, among other things, in gravitational wave detectors such as LIGO, in cleanrooms and in the largest laser fusion experiment; a dedicated application center supports laser micromachining. All production sites are ISO 9001 certified, with the Swiss site additionally holding ISO 13485.
- Site
- DK-3460 Birkerød
- Processes
- Picosecond pulsed diode lasers (PILAS) - wavelengths 375–1550 nm, repetition rate up to 40 MHz,, Supercontinuum white light lasers (SuperK) - 390–2400 nm, PCF-based, Single-frequency fiber lasers (Koheras) - linewidth <1 kHz, mode-hop-free, Ultrafast fiber lasers (aeroPULSE) and femtosecond solid-state lasers (ORIGAMI) - 1030 nm and 515, Ultrafast laser micromachining of metals, semiconductors, glass, sapphire,, Manufacture of specialty optical fibers / photonic crystal fibers (manufacturing of fiber preforms, Development, manufacturing, engineering, sales and service of optical fibers, optical, Product development (design)
- Materials
- Photonic Crystal Fiber, Silica (fused quartz glass), Erbium-doped fiber, Ytterbium-doped fiber, Thulium-doped fiber, Fiber preform, Supercontinuum technology, Single-frequency technology
- Certificates
- ISO 9001, ISO 13485
- Founded
- 1997
- Employees
- over 6,600 (Hamamats
- Industries
- Medical & Life Science, Industrial, Aerospace & Defense, Quantum & Nano Technology
- 01
Fiber preform manufacturing
- 02
Drawing of photonic crystal fibers and doped specialty fibers
- 03
Laser development and design
- 04
Manufacturing and integration of the laser systems
- 05
Testing and quality control
- 06
Sales, service and application center
Technologies and Materials
Photonic Crystal Fiber
Microstructured silica fiber with precisely tailorable dispersion for supercontinuum generation, ultrafast pulse transmission and quantum applications.
Silica (fused quartz glass)
Base material for photonic crystal fibers and fiber preforms.
Erbium-doped fiber
Gain medium for single-frequency and ultrafast fiber lasers.
Ytterbium-doped fiber
Gain medium for high-power and ultrafast fiber lasers at 1030 nm.
Thulium-doped fiber
Gain medium for single-frequency fiber lasers, e.g. in the 1762 nm range for ion traps.
Supercontinuum technology
Nonlinear spectral broadening in PCF for broadband white light from 390–2400 nm.
Single-frequency technology
Ultra-stable fiber lasers with linewidth below 1 kHz and mode-hop-free operation using fiber Bragg gratings.
Picosecond pulsed diode lasers
Gain-switched laser diodes from 375–1550 nm with jitter below 3 ps.
Femtosecond solid-state laser (OptoCage)
All-in-one laser in a temperature-controlled aluminum block for high pointing stability.
Locations
Birkerød
DKHeadquarters, manufacturing and development
- PILAS DX pulsed diode laser product line
- SuperK supercontinuum lasers
- Koheras single-frequency fiber lasers
Hudiksvall
SEManufacturing of fiber preforms
- Materials
- Silica glass, doped fibers
Southampton
UKSales and manufacturing, Aerospace & Defense laser systems
- aeroPULSE FS10/FS50/PS
Regensdorf
CHMedical lasers, ISO 13485 certified
Wilmington, MA
USUS sales office
Cologne
DESales company (Hamamatsu Photonics LF GmbH)
Berlin
DEAdvanced Laserdiode Systems A.L.S. GmbH
Products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Picosecond pulsed diode lasers (PILAS) - wavelengths 375–1550 nm, repetition rate up to 40 MHz,Engineering | – | – | – | – | Semiconductor laser diode, Single-mode fiber |
| Supercontinuum white light lasers (SuperK) - 390–2400 nm, PCF-basedEngineering | – | – | – | – | Photonic Crystal Fiber, Silica glass |
| Single-frequency fiber lasers (Koheras) - linewidth <1 kHz, mode-hop-freeEngineering | – | – | – | – | Erbium-doped fiber, Ytterbium-doped fiber, Thulium-doped fiber, Fiber Bragg grating |
| Ultrafast fiber lasers (aeroPULSE) and femtosecond solid-state lasers (ORIGAMI) - 1030 nm and 515Engineering | – | – | – | – | Erbium-doped fiber, Ytterbium-doped fiber |
| Ultrafast laser micromachining of metals, semiconductors, glass, sapphire,Machining | – | – | – | – | Metals, Semiconductors, Glass, Sapphire, Polymers, Transparent materials, Composites, ITO thin films, Solar cell substrates |
| Manufacture of specialty optical fibers / photonic crystal fibers (manufacturing of fiber preformsEngineering | – | – | – | – | Silica glass, Photonic Crystal Fiber, Doped fibers (Er, Yb, Tm) |
| Development, manufacturing, engineering, sales and service of optical fibers, opticalEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
5 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Picosecond pulsed diode laser PILAS DX | Hamamatsu Photonics (formerly NKT Photonics) PILAS DX (PiL037 to PiL155, FS/FC variants) | – | Wavelength 375–1550 nm, pulse-on-demand repetition rate up to 40 MHz | – | Birkerød, Denmark |
| Supercontinuum white light laser | Hamamatsu Photonics SuperK series (including SuperK CHROMATUNE, aeroPULSE FS10/FS50/PS) | – | 390–2400 nm; CHROMATUNE 400–1000 nm tunable | – | Birkerød, Denmark |
| Single-frequency fiber laser | Hamamatsu Photonics Koheras (including ADJUSTIK T20 1762.17 nm) | – | Linewidth <1 kHz, output mW up to several watts | – | – |
| Ultrafast fiber laser | Hamamatsu Photonics aeroPULSE | – | 1030 nm and 515 nm (frequency-doubled), fs/ps | – | – |
| Femtosecond solid-state laser (all-in-one, OptoCage technology) | Hamamatsu Photonics ORIGAMI | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
All products are manufactured under strict quality control; the production sites are ISO 9001 certified, and the Swiss site meets ISO 13485 for medical devices. In a test laboratory, more than 60 SuperK lasers run continuously to ensure industrial reliability.
| Evidence | Birkerød | Hudiksvall | Southampton | Regensdorf |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | ||||
| ISO 13485 |
History
- 1997
Company origin as NKT Photonics
- 1999
Key role in further development and commercialization of photonic crystal fiber technology
- 2007
Introduction of the first supercontinuum laser
Acquisition by the Hamamatsu Photonics Group; renaming to Hamamatsu Photonics A/S (Lasers & Fibers Business Unit)