What’s the best way to modulate my laser beam – AOM or EOM?
There is a tremendous variety of laser beam modulators commercially available today. Choosing the right one, in terms of performance, cost, and reliability can be daunting, especially for those not familiar with the technologies. This whitepaper gives clear guidance on how to understand product specifications and learn to identify the products that suit your specific needs. Since the AOM is generally lower cost than the EOM, this is often a core consideration unless the application has a critical need for one of the key advantages of the EOM. Compared to the AOM, the EOM offers a larger aperture, high power and pulse energy compatibility, a very high contrast ratio, and a fast rise time. Conversely, the AOM offers much higher modulation speeds. This whitepaper will explain the key differences between acousto-optic modulators and electro-optic modulators in detail, including insertion loss/transmission efficiency, contrast ratio/extinction and power, and energy handling/damage threshold.