Many people find it hard to believe that something that looks like a regular flashlight and uses a few AAA batteries could be dangerous. However, it is important to realize that the danger from green laser pointer, while small, is not zero, especially for the type 3 Pointers that could cause the above exposure. For example, limited exposure of 5 mW per blink reflex results in up to a 10% probability of retinal damage. However, even eye exposure below 100 degrees may temporarily blind the victim and should therefore be avoided.
Whether the laser diode is a conventional monolithic design or is configured using an external cavity, the laser should still propagate through the PN junction of the diode through a waveguide. Therefore, the beam profile of the edge LED is unique compared to all laser sources due to the asymmetric geometry of the optical cavity. This problem often leads to confusion about how to properly integrate an open-beam laser diode into your system. Therefore, to help this blog develop detailed information in laser 101 explaining physics principles. We will first briefly introduce the PN junction and then explore the role of the peak waveguide.