13 June 2011

EpiCrystals introduces green laser light source for pico projectors

At this week’s Projection Summit 2011 trade fair in Orlando, FL, USA, laser light source specialist EpiCrystals Inc of Helsinki, Finland has introduced what it claims is the smallest and most efficient green light source available for pico projectors.

Founded in 2003 and funded by VNT Management Ltd, Finnish Industry Investment Ltd, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (TEKES), and Finnvera, EpiCrystals focuses exclusively on developing laser light sources, and has patented a new way to produce them more efficiently and cost effectively than other industry players, it is claimed.

The firm’s technology is based on its patented DeCIBEL laser platform. The DeCIBEL laser has a two-component design. Specifically, the green DeCIBEL laser is a 1064nm GaAs-based infrared laser diode (LD) that emits very narrow pulses. These highly energetic picosecond-class pulses undergo frequency conversion to a visible wavelength when guided through a PPLN (periodically poled lithium niobate) nonlinear crystal. Using a single integrated lens in the laser diode, coupling can be performed very rapidly, enabling low manufacturing costs and high yield.

The spectrum width of the laser is widened so that speckle contrast is minimized. With a bright true-green color (532nm), DeCIBEL lasers exhibit optical output power of more than 60mW, modulation speed of over 100MHz, and speckle reduced by more than 70%.

DeCIBEL lasers are designed especially for pico-projector applications and, when combined with an imaging device like a MEMS scanner, enable what are claimed to be the most compact and cost-efficient projector engines.

EpiCrystals’ development strategy is based on miniaturization, image quality and the lowest overall cost. Integration of the device into smart-phones and other handheld devices can allow manufacturers to quickly bring the technology to the consumer market, the firm reckons.

While the main applications are in pico projectors and digital cameras, new RGB (red, green, blue) laser technology is expected to revolutionize smart-phones in the near future, enabling the projection of photos, video presentations and movies on almost any surface with high-definition (HD)-level quality and resolution.

“We see the largest volume opportunity for our RGB laser module in the smart-phone market, where the desired viewing experience and consumer expectations are very high,” says VP of business development Tomi Jouhti. “Our RGB laser modules’ bright colors and exceptional contrast are the reason for our ability to meet the individual and specific needs of the consumer,” he adds.

EpiCrystal’s green laser module will be available in first-quarter 2012 for $45 in 10,000-unit volumes.

Tags: Green laser Pico projectors

Visit: www.projectionsummit.com