Author(s)

M. Nowakowski, Z. Bielecki, W. Ko ł osowski 2 & R. Dufrene 2

Abstract

This paper presents a measuring method of laser radiation energy using a photoacoustic converter. The mathematical-physical model of the converter and its numerical analysis is described. The influence of selected design factors and operation conditions on a level of a voltage signal produced at a converter output was analysed. The results of theoretical investigations have been confirmed by the experimental ones. Development of a meter of laser radiation energy with a photoacoustic converter was the final result. Keywords: photoacoustic converters, meters of laser radiation energy. 1 Introduction For measurement of power or energy of optical radiation, absorption and transmission converters (detectors) are used. Absorption converters are placed at the end of a propagation path of the measured laser beam but transmission converters just at this beam path. Two basic groups of absorption converters can be distinguished, i.e., thermal and photonic ones [1,2]. A separate group of the systems devoted to measurement of power or energy of laser radiation form the systems with a radiation beam splitter. Accuracy of energetic parameters of optical radiation depends not only on a measuring instrument but also on accuracy of determination of a splitting coefficient of a radiation beam splitter. It is a disadvantage and such a disadvantage does not occur when the energy meter with a photoacoustic converter is used (Fig. 1). This converter consists of an optical element made of melted silica and a thin-film piezoelectric detector (PVDF foil).

Keywords

photoacoustic converters, meters of laser radiation energy.