List of laser types


This is a list of laser types, their operational wavelengths, and their applications. Thousands of kinds of laser are known, but most of them are used only for specialized research.

Overview

Gas lasers

Laser gain medium and typeOperation wavelengthPump sourceApplications and notes
Helium–neon laser632.8 nm Electrical dischargeInterferometry, holography, spectroscopy, barcode scanning, alignment, optical demonstrations.
Argon laser454.6 nm, 488.0 nm, 514.5 nm Electrical dischargeRetinal phototherapy, lithography, confocal microscopy, spectroscopy pumping other lasers.
Krypton laser416 nm, 530.9 nm, 568.2 nm, 647.1 nm, 676.4 nm, 752.5 nm, 799.3 nmElectrical dischargeScientific research, mixed with argon to create "white-light" lasers, light shows.
Xenon ion laserMany lines throughout visible spectrum extending into the UV and IR.Electrical dischargeScientific research.
Nitrogen laser337.1 nmElectrical dischargePumping of dye lasers, measuring air pollution, scientific research. Nitrogen lasers can operate superradiantly. Amateur laser construction. See TEA laser
Carbon dioxide laser10.6 μm, Transverse or longitudinal electrical dischargeMaterial processing, surgery, dental laser, military lasers.
Carbon monoxide laser2.6 to 4 μm, 4.8 to 8.3 μmElectrical dischargeMaterial processing, photoacoustic spectroscopy.
Excimer laser193 nm, 248 nm, 308 nm, 353 nm Excimer recombination via electrical dischargeUltraviolet lithography for semiconductor manufacturing, laser surgery, LASIK.

Chemical lasers

Used as directed-energy weapons.
Laser gain medium and typeOperation wavelengthPump sourceApplications and notes
Hydrogen fluoride laser2.7 to 2.9 μm for hydrogen fluoride Chemical reaction in a burning jet of ethylene and nitrogen trifluoride Used in research for laser weaponry, operated in continuous wave mode, can have power in the megawatt range.
Deuterium fluoride laser~3800 nm chemical reactionUS military laser prototypes.
COIL 1.315 μm Chemical reaction in a jet of singlet delta oxygen and iodineMilitary lasers, scientific and materials research. Can operate in continuous wave mode, with power in the megawatt range.
Agil 1.315 μm Chemical reaction of chlorine atoms with gaseous hydrazoic acid, resulting in excited molecules of nitrogen chloride, which then pass their energy to the iodine atoms.Scientific, weaponry, aerospace.

Dye lasers

Laser gain medium and typeOperation wavelengthPump sourceApplications and notes
Dye lasers390-435 nm, 460-515 nm, 570-640 nm, many othersOther laser, flashlampResearch, laser medicine, spectroscopy, birthmark removal, isotope separation. The tuning range of the laser depends on which dye is used.

Metal-vapor lasers

Solid-state lasers

Laser gain medium and typeOperation wavelengthPump sourceApplications and notes
Ruby laser694.3 nmFlashlampHolography, tattoo removal. The first type of visible light laser invented; May 1960.
1.064 μm, Flashlamp, laser diodeMaterial processing, rangefinding, laser target designation, surgery, tattoo removal, hair removal, research, pumping other lasers. One of the most common high-power lasers. Usually pulsed, dental laser
laser1.064 μm, solar radiationExperimental production of nanopowders.
2.94 μmFlashlamp, laser diodePeriodontal scaling, dental laser, skin resurfacing
Neodymium YLF solid-state laser1.047 and 1.053 μmFlashlamp, laser diodeMostly used for pulsed pumping of certain types of pulsed Ti:sapphire lasers, combined with frequency doubling.
Neodymium-doped yttrium orthovanadate laser1.064 μmlaser diodeMostly used for continuous pumping of mode-locked Ti:sapphire or dye lasers, in combination with frequency doubling. Also used pulsed for marking and micromachining. A frequency doubled nd:YVO4 laser is also the normal way of making a green laser pointer.
Nd:YCa4O3 or simply Nd:YCOB~1.060 μm laser diodeNd:YCOB is a so-called "self-frequency doubling" or SFD laser material which is both capable of lasing and which has nonlinear characteristics suitable for second harmonic generation. Such materials have the potential to simplify the design of high brightness green lasers.
Neodymium glass laser~1.062 μm, ~1.054 μm Flashlamp, laser diodeUsed in extremely high-power, high-energy multiple beam systems for inertial confinement fusion. Nd:Glass lasers are usually frequency tripled to the third harmonic at 351 nm in laser fusion devices.
Titanium sapphire laser650-1100 nmOther laserSpectroscopy, LIDAR, research. This material is often used in highly-tunable mode-locked infrared lasers to produce ultrashort pulses and in amplifier lasers to produce ultrashort and ultra-intense pulses.
Thulium YAG laser2.0 μmLaser diodeLIDAR.
Ytterbium YAG laser1.03 μmLaser diode, flashlampLaser cooling, materials processing, ultrashort pulse research, multiphoton microscopy, LIDAR.
Ytterbium:2O3 laser1.03 μmLaser diodeUltrashort pulse research,
Ytterbium-doped glass laser 1. μmLaser diode.Fiber version is capable of producing several-kilowatt continuous power, having ~70-80% optical-to-optical and ~25% electrical-to-optical efficiency. Material processing: cutting, welding, marking; nonlinear fiber optics: broadband fiber-nonlinearity based sources, pump for fiber Raman lasers; distributed Raman amplification pump for telecommunications.
Holmium YAG laser2.1 μmLaser diodeTissue ablation, kidney stone removal, dentistry.
Chromium ZnSe laser2.2 - 2.8 μmOther laser MWIR laser radar, countermeasure against heat-seeking missiles etc.
Cerium-doped lithium strontium aluminum fluoride ~280 to 316 nmFrequency quadrupled Nd:YAG laser pumped, excimer laser pumped, copper vapor laser pumped.Remote atmospheric sensing, LIDAR, optics research.
Promethium 147 doped phosphate glass solid-state laser933 nm, 1098 nm??Laser material is radioactive. Once demonstrated in use at LLNL in 1987, room temperature 4 level lasing in 147Pm doped into a lead-indium-phosphate glass étalon.
Chromium-doped chrysoberyl laserTypically tuned in the range of 700 to 820 nmFlashlamp, laser diode, mercury arc Dermatological uses, LIDAR, laser machining.
Erbium-doped and erbium-ytterbium codoped glass lasers1.53-1.56 μmLaser diodeThese are made in rod, plate/chip, and optical fiber form. Erbium doped fibers are commonly used as optical amplifiers for telecommunications.
Trivalent uranium-doped calcium fluoride solid-state laser2.5 μmFlashlampFirst 4-level solid state laser developed by Peter Sorokin and Mirek Stevenson at IBM research labs, second laser invented overall, liquid helium cooled, unused today.
Divalent samarium-doped calcium fluoride laser708.5 nmFlashlampAlso invented by Peter Sorokin and Mirek Stevenson at IBM research labs, early 1961. Liquid helium-cooled, unused today.
F-center laser.2.3-3.3 μmIon laserSpectroscopy

Semiconductor lasers

Laser gain medium and typeOperation wavelengthPump sourceApplications and notes
Semiconductor laser diode 0.4-20 μm, depending on active region material.Electrical currentTelecommunications, holography, printing, weapons, machining, welding, pump sources for other lasers, high-beam headlights for automobiles.
GaN0.4 μmElectrical currentOptical discs. 405 nm is used in Blu-ray Discs reading/recording.
InGaN0.4 - 0.5 μmElectrical currentHome projector, primary light source for some recent small projectors
AlGaInP, AlGaAs0.63-0.9 μmElectrical currentOptical discs, laser pointers, data communications. 780 nm compact disc, 650 nm general DVD player and 635 nm DVD for Authoring recorder laser are the most common lasers type in the world. Solid-state laser pumping, machining, medical.
InGaAsP1.0-2.1 μmElectrical currentTelecommunications, solid-state laser pumping, machining, medical..
lead salt3-20 μmElectrical current
Vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser 850–1500 nm, depending on materialElectrical currentTelecommunications
Quantum cascade laserMid-infrared to far-infrared.Electrical currentResearch, Future applications may include collision-avoidance radar, industrial-process control and medical diagnostics such as breath analyzers.
Hybrid silicon laserMid-infraredElectrical currentLow cost silicon integrated optical communications

Other types of lasers

Further references