# Laser Types, Wavelengths and Typical Applications Reference > Source: https://netray.co/tools/laser-types-wavelength-and-application-reference > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: Free Tools ## Short answer Find the output wavelength, spectral region and typical industrial use for common gas, solid-state, fiber, diode and excimer lasers. ## Category industry-templates ## Industry Photonics and Optics ## Audience - Optical engineer - Laser technician - Production planner ## Tool **Kind:** worksheet **Mode:** reference **Columns:** #### Laser **Key:** laser **Type:** text #### Gain medium **Key:** medium **Type:** text #### Wavelength **Key:** wavelength **Type:** text #### Spectral region **Key:** region **Type:** text #### Typical operation **Key:** mode **Type:** text #### Typical use **Key:** use **Type:** text **Rows:** **Laser:** Helium-neon (HeNe) **Medium:** He and Ne gas **Wavelength:** 632.8 nm **Region:** Visible red **Mode:** CW **Use:** Alignment, interferometry, metrology reference **Laser:** Argon-ion **Medium:** Ionised argon **Wavelength:** 488 nm and 514.5 nm **Region:** Visible blue and green **Mode:** CW **Use:** Fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, older display and lithography uses **Laser:** Helium-cadmium **Medium:** He and Cd vapour **Wavelength:** 325 nm and 442 nm **Region:** UV and blue **Mode:** CW **Use:** Holography, photoresist exposure, fluorescence **Laser:** Nitrogen laser **Medium:** Nitrogen gas **Wavelength:** 337.1 nm **Region:** UV **Mode:** Pulsed **Use:** Pumping dye lasers, fluorescence studies **Laser:** Ruby **Medium:** Cr3+ in sapphire **Wavelength:** 694.3 nm **Region:** Visible red **Mode:** Pulsed **Use:** Historic pulsed laser, holography, tattoo removal **Laser:** Nd:YAG **Medium:** Nd3+ in YAG crystal **Wavelength:** 1064 nm **Region:** Near infrared **Mode:** CW, Q-switched or pulsed **Use:** Marking, engraving, welding, rangefinding, medical **Laser:** Nd:YAG frequency doubled **Medium:** Nd:YAG with SHG crystal **Wavelength:** 532 nm **Region:** Visible green **Mode:** Q-switched or CW **Use:** Green marking, laser pointers, pumping Ti:sapphire **Laser:** Nd:YAG frequency tripled **Medium:** Nd:YAG with THG crystal **Wavelength:** 355 nm **Region:** UV **Mode:** Q-switched **Use:** Fine marking of glass and plastics, wafer micromachining **Laser:** Nd:YVO4 **Medium:** Nd3+ in YVO4 crystal **Wavelength:** 1064 nm **Region:** Near infrared **Mode:** Q-switched, high repetition rate **Use:** Precision marking, thin film scribing, micromachining **Laser:** Ytterbium fiber **Medium:** Yb-doped silica fiber **Wavelength:** about 1030 to 1080 nm **Region:** Near infrared **Mode:** CW or pulsed **Use:** Metal cutting, welding, marking, cleaning **Laser:** Erbium fiber **Medium:** Er-doped silica fiber **Wavelength:** about 1550 nm **Region:** Near infrared (eye-safer band) **Mode:** CW or pulsed **Use:** Telecom amplifiers, lidar, some marking **Laser:** Thulium fiber **Medium:** Tm-doped silica fiber **Wavelength:** about 1900 to 2050 nm **Region:** Short-wave infrared **Mode:** CW or pulsed **Use:** Plastic welding, medical soft tissue **Laser:** Holmium:YAG **Medium:** Ho3+ in YAG **Wavelength:** 2100 nm **Region:** Short-wave infrared **Mode:** Pulsed **Use:** Medical lithotripsy and soft tissue **Laser:** Erbium:YAG **Medium:** Er3+ in YAG **Wavelength:** 2940 nm **Region:** Mid infrared **Mode:** Pulsed **Use:** Dental and dermatological ablation **Laser:** Carbon dioxide (CO2) **Medium:** CO2, N2 and He gas **Wavelength:** 10600 nm (also 9.4 um) **Region:** Long-wave infrared **Mode:** CW or pulsed **Use:** Cutting and engraving non-metals, sheet metal cutting, welding **Laser:** Ti:sapphire **Medium:** Ti3+ in sapphire **Wavelength:** about 690 to 1050 nm tunable **Region:** Red to near infrared **Mode:** CW or ultrafast pulsed **Use:** Femtosecond research, multiphoton microscopy, micromachining **Laser:** Alexandrite **Medium:** Cr3+ in chrysoberyl **Wavelength:** 755 nm (tunable) **Region:** Near infrared **Mode:** Pulsed **Use:** Hair and tattoo removal, some LIDAR **Laser:** ArF excimer **Medium:** Argon fluoride **Wavelength:** 193 nm **Region:** Deep UV **Mode:** Pulsed **Use:** Semiconductor lithography, corneal surgery **Laser:** KrF excimer **Medium:** Krypton fluoride **Wavelength:** 248 nm **Region:** Deep UV **Mode:** Pulsed **Use:** Lithography, micromachining, annealing **Laser:** XeCl excimer **Medium:** Xenon chloride **Wavelength:** 308 nm **Region:** UV **Mode:** Pulsed **Use:** Dermatology, thin-film annealing **Laser:** Blue GaN diode **Medium:** InGaN semiconductor **Wavelength:** about 405 to 450 nm **Region:** Violet and blue **Mode:** CW **Use:** Optical storage, projectors, copper processing, 3D printing **Laser:** Red diode **Medium:** AlGaInP semiconductor **Wavelength:** about 635 to 670 nm **Region:** Visible red **Mode:** CW **Use:** Pointers, alignment, barcode scanners **Laser:** High-power GaAs diode **Medium:** AlGaAs semiconductor **Wavelength:** 808 nm, 915 nm, 940 nm, 976 nm **Region:** Near infrared **Mode:** CW **Use:** Pumping solid-state and fiber lasers, direct diode processing **Laser:** VCSEL **Medium:** GaAs-based semiconductor **Wavelength:** 850 nm and 940 nm typical **Region:** Near infrared **Mode:** CW or modulated **Use:** Data links, 3D sensing, proximity sensors **Laser:** Telecom DFB diode **Medium:** InGaAsP semiconductor **Wavelength:** 1310 nm and 1550 nm **Region:** Near infrared **Mode:** CW, modulated **Use:** Fiber optic transmitters **Laser:** Quantum cascade (QCL) **Medium:** Semiconductor superlattice **Wavelength:** about 4 to 12 um **Region:** Mid to long infrared **Mode:** CW or pulsed **Use:** Gas sensing, spectroscopy, countermeasures **Notes:** Wavelengths are nominal and several lasers have multiple lines or tunable ranges. Diode and fiber laser wavelengths vary by vendor and temperature. Always confirm against the datasheet and the laser safety label of the specific product. ## Content **Intro:** Pick a laser type or a wavelength and see the matching gain medium, spectral region and the jobs that laser usually does. It is a fast reference for production planners, technicians and buyers who need to translate between product names and wavelengths without opening five datasheets. **Sections:** #### How to use this reference **Body:** Search by wavelength, for example 1064, or by job, such as cutting or marking. Each row lists the nominal wavelength, the spectral region and the typical mode of operation. Use it to cross-check a quote, a safety label or an eyewear selection, since protective eyewear is rated by wavelength range and optical density. Export the filtered list to Excel to attach to a routing or equipment record. **Bullets:** - Check the wavelength against the label on the laser head - Confirm the optics coatings are rated for that wavelength - Match eyewear optical density to wavelength and power - Record the wavelength on the equipment master in your ERP #### Wavelength drives the process **Body:** Absorption depends strongly on wavelength. Metals absorb near-infrared light at 1 um reasonably well and absorb 10.6 um CO2 light poorly until the surface is hot, while many plastics, wood, glass and paper absorb CO2 energy well. Shorter UV wavelengths such as 355 nm permit smaller focal spots and cold ablation, which is why they dominate fine marking and micromachining. Copper absorbs green and blue far better than infrared. #### Frequency conversion and pumping **Body:** Many production lasers are built from others. A 1064 nm Nd:YAG or Nd:YVO4 laser can be frequency doubled to 532 nm or tripled to 355 nm using nonlinear crystals, at some efficiency cost. High-power GaAs diodes at 808 to 976 nm do not usually process material directly. They pump the gain medium of fiber, disk and rod lasers, which in turn delivers the beam you use on the part. #### Common mistakes **Body:** Do not assume a laser is safe because a different one of the same class was. Eyewear for 1064 nm does not protect against 532 nm or 10.6 um unless rated for it. Do not reuse a lens, window or mirror outside its rated band. Missing wavelength data on the asset record is a frequent cause of wrong spare parts being ordered, so capture wavelength and power on every laser asset in maintenance planning. **Cta:** If laser equipment, spares and calibration records sit in your ERP or maintenance system, we can help build a private assistant that answers wavelength and spare-part questions from that data. Ask us what it would take on your system. **Faq:** #### What wavelength is a fiber laser? **Answer:** Most industrial ytterbium fiber lasers emit around 1030 to 1080 nm, commonly quoted as 1064 nm or about 1070 nm. Erbium fiber lasers emit near 1550 nm and thulium fiber lasers near 1900 to 2050 nm. The exact line depends on the doping and vendor design. #### Why is CO2 laser light at 10.6 um good for non-metals? **Answer:** Most organic materials, glass, ceramics and plastics absorb strongly in the long-wave infrared, so CO2 energy couples efficiently into them. Bare metals reflect much of 10.6 um light at room temperature, which is why metal cutting with CO2 relies on assist gas and high power. #### Is 1550 nm laser light eye safe? **Answer:** It is often described as eye-safer because the cornea and lens absorb most of the energy before it reaches the retina, so the permitted exposure is much higher than at 1064 nm. It is not harmless: high power can still burn the cornea and skin, and classification still applies. #### Can I use the same lens for 1064 nm and 532 nm? **Answer:** Only if its coating is rated for both. A coating designed for 1064 nm can reflect a large share of 532 nm light or even absorb it, creating heat damage. Check the coating spec, and use dual-band or broadband coatings where both lines are needed. ## Search terms laser wavelength table, types of lasers and wavelengths, nd yag laser wavelength, co2 laser wavelength 10.6, fiber laser wavelength 1064, excimer laser wavelengths, laser types applications chart, diode laser wavelength list --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json