Laser Diode Mounting Kits

If your work involves laser diodes, you’ll appreciate the benefits of Optima’s laser diode mounting systems. Components in the system facilitate mounting a laser diode, collimating or focusing the beam, and aligning the beam with other optics or electro-optical components. Optima’s laser diode mounting kits offer a quick and cost effective solution for mounting a Ø5.6mm or Ø9mm laser diode. All of the mounting kits (except the LDM 1100) include the collimating lens, a black anodized aluminum housing, and the hardware required to mount your laser (the laser diode is not included). All of the collimating lenses are intended for use with laser diodes in the 635nm to 830nm range.

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Laser Diode Mounting Kits For 5.6 mm and 9.0 mm Diameter Laser Diodes
Model Comparison and Specifications:

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LDM 1100 KIT – Laser Diode Mount for Ø5.6mm and Ø9.0mm Diodes

The LDM 1100 Laser Diode Mount is shown below in the left frame. This convenient mount facilitates mounting the popular Ø5.6mm and Ø9.0mm laser diodes on a standard optical bench post with a #8-32 thread (the post is not included in the kit).

Often when we’re working in the lab with various laser diodes and evaluating different optical assemblies, we find it very desirable to have the diode mounted in a heat sink/mount that provides direct access to the front of the diode. With unobstructed access to the diode’s output, it’s possible to position lenses or other optical components using a separate component holder and/or translation stage. Using the LDM 1100, the diode’s base is firmly clamped against the heat sink surface and the diode’s pins are accessible from the back side of the mount. A clearance hole on the back side of the mount permits using our laser diode socket (P/N 900-8060-000) which greatly improves reliability in connecting the diode with a drive cable.

Note: The LDM 1100 KIT includes the heat sink/mount and mounting hardware for both Ø5.6mm and Ø9.0mm laser diodes. There are no optics included in the LDM 1100 KIT — the ADP 9056 Optics Kit shown below in the right frame is designed to be used with the LDM 1100 — the ADP 9056 is described in the following section and should be ordered with the LDM 1100 KIT.

P/N LDM 1100 KIT... Unit price (Qty 1- 4) $52.60 each

LDM 1100 KIT	ADP 9056 KIT

ADP 9056 KIT – Optics for LDM 1100 KIT

The ADP 9056 is shown above in the right frame. This kit is specifically designed to compliment the LDM 1100 diode mount described above. Each kit includes two optics holders; one for use with Ø5.6mm diodes and a second holder for Ø9.0mm laser diodes. These black anodized, aluminum holders clamp the laser diode to the laser diode mount/heat sink and provide the precision thread for mounting and adjusting the collimating lens. Three Optima collimating lens are supplied with each kit – the lens part numbers are listed in the table below with a brief listing of the specifications – (the part numbers in the table are hypertext links to the detailed specifications page). These high quality collimating lenses provide the user with a practical range of focal lengths for many experiments with laser diodes ranging from 635nm to 830nm.

The ADP 9056 KIT includes the lens housing for both Ø5.6mm and Ø9.0mm laser diodes, mounting hardware, and three collimating lenses; part numbers 336-1027-660 or 336-1027-785; 305-0066-780; and 305-8045-780. The lens specifications are briefly listed below:

P/N ADP 9056 KIT... Unit price (Qty 1- 4) $136.00 each
ADP 9056 Optics Kit Lens Specifications:

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LDM 3300 KIT – Glass Asphere Lens with Large NA and Small Collimated Beam

The LDM 3300 KIT is the newest addition to Optima’s Laser Diode Mounting System. The compact cylindrical housing provides the essential heat sink for the laser diode and a fine-pitch thread for adjusting the collimating lens position in the z-axis – allowing the user to either collimate or focus the laser diode beam.

The collimating lens used in the LDM 3300 kit is a diffraction limited, molded glass asphere with a large numerical aperture, Optima P/N 305-0464-780. With an NA of 0.5 the collimating lens will efficiently couple the output from most laser diodes. Also, this lens has a focal length that’s slightly shorter than most of the Optima glass lenses – with a 4mm focal length, this lens creates a smaller collimated beam.

The minimum working distance is approximately 6 mm from the front surface of the LDM housing. Using a Hitachi HL6312G laser diode as an example, a beam focused at the minimum working distance is approximately 20 x 9.6 microns (1/e2, with 20 microns being the parallel axis); a collimated beam 100 mm from the front surface of the housing is ~0.85 mm x 3.73 mm.

When ordering this mounting kit for use with Ø5.6mm diodes, the part number changes to LDM 3356 KIT.

P/N LDM 3300 KIT for Ø9.0mm diodes... Unit price (Qty 1- 4) $57.00 each

P/N LDM 3356 KIT for Ø5.6mm diodes... Unit price (Qty 1- 4) $57.00 each

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LDM 3400 KIT – Interchangeable Apertures to Circularize an Elliptical Beam

The LDM 3400 Laser Diode Mount is a unique design with a few features not found in the other Optima laser diode mounts. The 1/2-inch diameter cylindrical housing is essentially split into two sections; the back section holds the laser diode and the collimating lens. The front section holds a changeable aperture and provides the adjustment mechanism for positioning the collimating lens. The front section has a diamond knurl pattern on the outside diameter – to adjust the collimating lens position, just rotate the front section and the collimating lens moves precisely in the z-axis. The laser diode is firmly held in place by a threaded ring that sits on the back surface of the diode – increasing the metal-to-metal contact area and improving heat transfer.

Multi-element collimating lens – The lens included with the LDM 3400 mount is the Optima P/N 336-1027-660 or 336-1027-785. This is possibly one of the best general purpose collimating lens ever designed for visible and near-infrared diodes. When combined with the LDM 3400 mount, the assembly is simple and lens adjustment provides exceptional control. Please refer to the lens specifications page for detailed information.

Interchangeable apertures – One technique used to “cleanup” or “circularize” a laser diodes elliptical beam is to pass the collimated beam through a small circular aperture. If the size of the aperture is small enough, the beam exiting the aperture will be circular – an obvious problem with this technique is a loss in optical power. However, most applications don’t require a perfectly circular beam – somewhere between the diodes elliptical beam and a circular beam, there’s usually an acceptable solution.

Comparison of LDM 3400 KIT using the 4.83mm (largest) aperture and the 1.14mm (smallest) aperture:

Figure 1 Focused beam 56.8 x 15.9 microns Aspect ratio of ~3.5 to 1	Figure 2 Focused beam 66.0 x 51.6 microns Aspect ratio of ~1.3 to 1

The two 3D figures shown above graphically illustrate the difference between an elliptical beam from a typical laser diode and a beam which has passed through a small aperture – effectively circularizing the beam. The laser diode used in these examples is the Hitachi HL6312G. The beam shown in figure 1 was collimated using the LDM 3400 KIT with the 4.83mm aperture installed. (The 4.83mm aperture has no effect on the beam as it is larger than the clear aperture of the collimating lens). The beam in figure 2 was collimated using the LDM 3400 KIT with the 1.14mm aperture installed. Both of the collimated beams were focused on the target sensor using a plano-convex lens with a 60mm focal length. The size of the focused spot in figure 1 is 56.8 x 15.9 microns with an aspect ratio of about 3.5:1.  The size of the focused spot in figure 2 is 66.0 x 51.6 microns with an aspect ratio of about 1.3:1. (The figures are taken at the 1/e2 point and are listed as the parallel axis x perpendicular axis).

Two additional points should be noted: When the beam is circularized with a small aperture, the focused spot will be larger than the focused spot which has not been clipped by an aperture. And with the larger diameter focused beam, the depth of field will increase. For a smaller focused beam consider the LDM 4200 KIT listed below.

The LDM 3406 KIT and the LDM 3457 KIT includes 6 circular apertures in the following sizes – 1.14, 1.52, 2.03, 2.54, 3.05, and 4.83mm. The 4.83mm aperture is larger than the clear aperture of the collimating lens, and consequently, has no clipping effect on the beam. The smallest aperture (1.14mm) is approximately equal to the dimension of the collimated beam in the parallel axis (the minor axis of the elliptical beam). When the smallest aperture is imposed on the collimated beam, the output beam will be very close to circular (this depends on the diodes parallel axis divergence angle). The loss in power, as compared with the 4.83mm aperture, is approximately 50%. The larger diameter apertures may be used to cleanup a beam by removing side lobes and other artifacts without causing a significant loss in power. In any case, the range of aperture sizes supplied with the LDM 3406 kit allows the user to evaluate the tradeoffs between beam size and power loss.  The LDM 3406 KIT is for use with Ø9mm diameter diodes; the LDM 3457 KIT is for use with Ø5.6mm diodes.

Ready for Production – The LDM 3400 KIT and the LDM 3456 KIT includes one aperture – once you have determined the optimum size for the aperture, the kit is available in a lower cost production version with only one aperture. Special aperture sizes are available in production quantities; please contact the factory for a quote.  The LDM 3400 KIT is for use with Ø9mm diameter diodes; the LDM 3456 KIT is for use with Ø 5.6mm diodes.

P/N LDM 3400 KIT for Ø9.0mm diodes... Unit price (Qty 1- 4) $77.40 each (Kit includes the collimating lens and one aperture)

P/N LDM 3456 KIT for Ø5.6mm diodes... Unit price (Qty 1- 4) $77.40 each (Kit includes the collimating lens and one aperture)

P/N LDM 3406 KIT for Ø9.0mm diodes... Unit price (Qty 1- 4) $93.25 each (Kit includes the collimating lens and six apertures)

P/N LDM 3457 KIT for Ø5.6mm diodes... Unit price (Qty 1- 4) $93.25 each (Kit includes the collimating lens and six apertures)

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LDM 3500 KIT – Smaller Beam for Long Distance Applications

The LDM 3500 KIT is similar to other laser diode mounts in the Optima product line – the housing provides a heat sink for the laser diode and a fine-pitch thread for adjusting the collimating lens position in the z-axis – allowing the user to either collimate or focus the laser diode beam.

However, the collimating lens included in the LDM 3500 kit is a very high quality molded glass asphere with a long focal of 8mm, Optima P/N 305-8045-780. This lens creates a very good quality beam in applications where a smaller beam is required at longer distances. It can be used in bar code readers that need a longer depth-of-field and/or work at greater stand-off distances than the typical hand-held device. It’s probably most useful in alignment systems and laser levels that project a beam in excess of a hundred feet.

The minimum working distance is approximately 90 mm from the front surface of the LDM housing. Using a Hitachi HL6312G laser diode as an example, a beam focused at the minimum working distance is approximately 50 x 23 microns (1/e2, with 50 microns being the parallel axis); a collimated beam 100 mm from the front surface of the housing is ~1.68 mm x 5.30 mm.

When ordering this mounting kit for use with Ø5.6mm diodes, the part number changes to LDM 3556 KIT.

P/N LDM 3500 KIT for Ø9.0mm diodes... Unit price (Qty 1- 4) $72.40 each

P/N LDM 3556 KIT for Ø5.6mm diodes... Unit price (Qty 1- 4) $72.40 each

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LDM 3700 KIT and LDM 3800 KIT

The LDM 3700 and LDM 3800 mounts are similar to other laser diode mounts in the Optima product line – the housing provides a heat sink for the laser diode and a fine-pitch thread for adjusting the collimating lens position in the z-axis – allowing the user to either collimate or focus the laser diode beam.

The difference between the LDM 3700 KIT and LDM 3800 KIT is as follows: the mechanical details of the lens holder are slightly different and the LDM 3700 housing is 17mm in length, whereas the LDM 3800 housing is 18mm long. The same collimating lens is included with either mounting kit; it’s a high quality, multi-element lens with a relatively large numerical aperture – Optima P/N 336-1027-660 for visible diodes, or the 336-1027-785 for near-infrared diodes.  Please refer to the lens specifications page for detailed information.

The minimum working distance is approximately 16 mm from the front surface of the LDM housing. Using a Hitachi HL6312G laser diode as an example, a beam focused at the minimum working distance is approximately 27 x 21 microns (1/e2, with 27 microns being the parallel axis); a collimated beam 100 mm from the front surface of the housing is ~0.98 mm x 4.06 mm.

When ordering a LDM 3700 mounting kit for use with Ø5.6mm diodes, the part number changes to LDM 3756 KIT.
Also, please specify which AR coating is required, -660 for visible diodes; or -785 for near-IR diodes.

P/N LDM 3700 KIT for Ø9.0mm diodes... Unit price (Qty 1- 4) $70.30 each (Kit includes the collimating lens)

P/N LDM 3756 KIT for Ø5.6mm diodes... Unit price (Qty 1- 4) $70.30 each (Kit includes the collimating lens)

P/N LDM 3800 KIT for Ø9.0mm diodes... Unit price (Qty 1- 4) $70.30 each (Kit includes the collimating lens)

The LDM 3800 KIT is not available for Ø5.6mm diodes.

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LDM 3900 KIT – Molded Glass Aspheric Lens

Similar to the LDM 3700 except the collimating lens provided is a molded glass asphere – Optima P/N 305-0066-780. This kit provides an excellent compromise between cost and performance — something in between an assembly using the higher cost multi-element lens and a kit with a lower cost plastic lens. The optical performance of the lens is very good — it creates a collimated beam which is slightly larger than a beam from the 336-1027 lens, resulting in a beam with less divergence and, consequently, a smaller beam at greater distances. Conversely, due to the longer focal length and larger clear aperture, this lens creates a smaller focused beam. Please refer to the lens specifications page for detailed information.

The minimum working distance is approximately 21 mm from the front surface of the LDM housing. Using a Hitachi HL6312G laser diode as an example, a beam focused at the minimum working distance is approximately 24 x 10.5 microns (1/e2, with 24 microns being the parallel axis); a collimated beam 100 mm from the front surface of the housing is ~1.37 mm x 5.12 mm.

When ordering this mounting kit for use with Ø5.6mm diodes, the part number changes to LDM 3956 KIT.

P/N LDM 3900 KIT for Ø9.0mm diodes... Unit price (Qty 1- 4) $57.10 each (Kit includes the collimating lens)

P/N LDM 3956 KIT for Ø5.6mm diodes... Unit price (Qty 1- 4) $57.10 each (Kit includes the collimating lens)

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LDM 4000 KIT – Low Cost Plastic Bi-Aspheric Lens

This low cost mounting kit is similar to the LDM 3900 except the collimating lens provided is an molded plastic asphere – Optima P/N 300-0360-780. Please refer to the lens specifications page for detailed information

The minimum working distance is approximately 8 mm from the front surface of the LDM housing. Using a Hitachi HL6312G laser diode, a beam focused at the minimum working distance is approximately 19.5 x 8.6 microns(1/e2, with 19.5 microns being the parallel axis); a collimated beam 100 mm from the front surface of the housing is ~0.92 mm x 3.17 mm.

When ordering this mounting kit for use with Ø5.6mm diodes, the part number changes to LDM 4056 KIT.

P/N LDM 4000 KIT for Ø9.0mm diodes... Unit price (Qty 1- 4) $45.70 each (Kit includes the collimating lens)

P/N LDM 4056 KIT for Ø5.6mm diodes... Unit price (Qty 1- 4) $45.70 each (Kit includes the collimating lens)

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LDM 4200 KIT – Bi-aspheric Plastic Lens for Long Distance Applications

This laser diode mounting kit is specifically designed to accept the Optima 300-0395-780 plastic aspheric collimating lens. Due to the relatively long focal length of the collimating lens, the housing is longer than most of the Optima laser diode mounts. With a long focal length (16mm) and small numerical aperture (NA=.14) this lens creates a relatively large diameter beam that’s more circular than the output from a typical laser diode collimating lens. Also, the 300-0395-780 lens is a very high-quality injection molded plastic lens – this lens has been used in digital laser communication systems which are extremely sensitive to lens aberrations and diffraction patterns that can be misread as data when a beam sweeps across a detector. The only negative aspect of the lens might be the small NA – the coupling efficiency (or total transmission) for most visible laser diodes is just under 50%. Please refer to the lens specifications page for detailed information.

Comparison of LDM 4200 KIT and the LDM 3700 KIT:

Figure 1 — LDM 4200 KIT Focused beam 19.9 x 13.1 microns Aspect ratio of ~1.5 to 1	Figure 2 — LDM 3700 KIT Focused beam 54.8 x 15.2 microns Aspect ratio of ~3.6 to 1

The two 3D figures shown above graphically illustrate the difference between a nearly circular beam from the LDM 4200 KIT and the typical elliptical beam, in this case from the LDM 3700 KIT. The laser diode used in these examples is the Hitachi HL6312G. The beam shown in figure 1 was collimated using the LDM 4200 KIT and the beam in figure 2 was collimated using the LDM 3700 KIT which is typical of all Optima LDM kits using the 336-1027-660 collimating lens. Both of the collimated beams were focused on the target sensor using a plano-convex lens with a 60mm focal length. The size of the focused spot in figure 1 is 19.9 x 13.1 microns with an aspect ratio of about 1.5:1.  The size of the focused spot in figure 2 is 54.8 x 15.2 microns with an aspect ratio of about 3.6:1. (The figures are taken at the 1/e2 point and are listed as the parallel axis x perpendicular axis).

Due to the long focal length, the minimum working distance is approximately 153 mm (6 inches) from the front surface of the LDM housing. If the application requires focusing at shorter distances, it would be best to collimate the output from the diode and then use a simple lens like a plano-convex to focus the beam. However, for reference we have measured the beam from the LDM 4200 kit using a Hitachi HL6312G laser diode; a beam focused at the minimum working distance is approximately 51.0 x 36.1 microns (1/e2, with 51.0 microns being the parallel axis); a collimated beam 100 mm from the front surface of the housing is ~3.38 mm x 4.65 mm.

When ordering this mounting kit for use with Ø5.6mm diodes, the part number changes to LDM 4256 KIT.

P/N LDM 4200 KIT for Ø9.0mm diodes... Unit price (Qty 1- 4) $52.60 each (Kit includes the collimating lens)

P/N LDM 4256 KIT for Ø5.6mm diodes... Unit price (Qty 1- 4) $52.60 each (Kit includes the collimating lens)

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LDM 4500 KIT – Low Cost Plastic Bi-Aspheric Lens, Small Collimated Beam

Similar to the LDM 4000 except the collimating lens provided is a molded plastic asphere, P/N 300-0380-780. With a short focal length of 3.4mm, this lens provides at relatively small collimated beam. A large numerical aperture (NA) of 0.47 provides excellent coupling efficiency with most laser diodes. Please refer to the lens specifications page for detailed information.

The minimum working distance is approximately 4 mm from the front surface of the LDM housing. Using a Hitachi HL6312G laser diode as an example, a beam focused at the minimum working distance is approximately 26.5 x 7.3 microns (1/e2, with 26.5 microns being the parallel axis); a collimated beam 100 mm from the front surface of the housing is ~0.74 mm x 2.89 mm.

When ordering this mounting kit for use with Ø5.6mm diodes, the part number changes to LDM 4556 KIT.

P/N LDM 4500 KIT for Ø9.0mm diodes... Unit price (Qty 1- 4) $45.70 each (Kit includes the collimating lens)

P/N LDM 4556 KIT for Ø5.6mm diodes... Unit price (Qty 1- 4) $45.70 each (Kit includes the collimating lens)

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LDM 5000 KIT – Low Wavefront Aberration, Larger Collimated Beam

Unique housing design – This housing has a flat mounting surface perpendicular to the optical axis, ideal for attachment to a printed circuit board or thermal electric cooler. Four #2-56 threaded holes in the base facilitate mounting, alignment, and aiming – if the base is attached to a “soft” mount like a rubber o-ring or wave washer, the beam can be “pointed” by selectively adjusting the four mounting screws attached to the base.

X-Y alignment – The laser emission point may be aligned with the lens optical axis by translating the diode in the x-y axis. While the lens is free to move in the z-axis (controlling focus or collimation) the lens does not rotate, minimizing lateral shift in the focused beam during the lens adjustment process. The collimating lens provided is a very high quality, diffraction-limited, multi-element lens with a large clear aperture and medium NA, Optima P/N 336-0965-780. With the larger clear aperture and excellent wavefront quality, this lens is intended for more demanding applications; such as laser diode instrumentation and/or long distance measurement applications. Please refer to the lens specifications page for detailed information.

Broad range of lens adjustment – The minimum working distance is approximately 12 mm from the front surface of the LDM housing. Using a Hitachi HL6312G laser diode as an example, a beam focused at the minimum working distance is approximately 30 x 15.5 microns (1/e2, with 30 microns being the parallel axis); a collimated beam 100 mm from the front surface of the housing is ~1.52 mm x 5.71 mm.

The LDM 5000 KIT is available in limited quantities and only for Ø9.0mm diodes.

P/N LDM 5000 KIT... Unit price (Qty 1- 4) $291.00 each (Kit includes the collimating lens)

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Last modified: January 05, 2012