Blue Violet Laser: 405nm, 100mW

October 11, 2011
This page details my first attempt at making the working laser. The first functional version is presented here.

Idea

A long time ago I got a red laser as a gift from my grandparents (one of the cheap types that broke down before I had a chance to replace the batteries). Since then I've been overall interested in lasers, and even more so after learning about the quantum nature of light. A laser pointer is officially on my list of things a cool scientist should have. One of my good friends decided to get me a bright green laser as a birthday gift. It works great, and according to empirical observations (melting black plastic bags) has maximum 50mW optical output (as opposed to 5mW listed on the label). As anyone can see though, this is clearly not enough power, so I decided to build a 100mW laser (seeing as fabricated ones cost around $100).

My plan is to order a blu-ray laser diode online (~$20) along with an aixiz laser module (~$10, page link contains the diode already embedded in module, this is not what I bought) and build the driver using components I already have at home (~$5).

Attempt

Well, all was fine and dandy, I ordered the laser diode and built the driver, tested it to output no more than 100mA at 9V. The diode I ordered was from the PHR-803T sled, from the discontinued XBox HD DVD drive. I then proceeded to remove and de-solder the diode itself from the sled, and connect it to wires hooked up to the driver. I tested it at 5mA and got a barely visible blue glow. So far so good. Then I put it into the module and turned up the current - to my dismay, the light remained barely visible. Definitely not something to "burn your eyes out". About this time I realized that the whole thing was fried. And I was really hoping it would work... The pictures really aren't even worth it - imagine an old blue LED hooked up to a discharged AAA battery and that's about what it looked like. I pushed it to about 200mA until it stopped working altogether.

I'm not sure what the cause for the burn-out of the diode was, but my guess is one of:

But not all hope is lost; the module is still functional and the driver was not that expensive. I'm planning to redo this whole thing.

To get around the problems above, I plan to buy two diodes, that are packaged individually (not soldered to anything! I have quite a lack of desoldering tools) and consult an actual electronics expert as to what circuit I should build. I'll keep you posted below.

Attempt 2

I placed the order at modwerx, but their systems were down or something (??) so the order was delayed for a few weeks. In that time I happened to move to another residence, so actually obtaining the diodes turned out to be quite difficult.

They're here now! I finally got the diodes, and they look great! Here are some photos:

Top view of diodesSide view of diodes
The diodes were packaged in this box. In the second photo I took them out of the styrofoam so the three leads would be visible.

Update

Since I received the diodes, I've had sufficient time to work with them and I finally have a finished design! Link is below the title at top.