BASICS: This optional introductory course provides those new to lasers with a solid, basic understanding of laser technology and laser applications. Attend this course as preparation for any of our laser safety courses and get all your laser questions answered.

Basics of Laser Technology - One Day (Monday)

For those who want a more thorough understanding of laser technology before their laser safety course. (We highly recommend this course to safety personnel who are new to lasers.)

This is a one-day beginning course in laser technology. It is designed for personnel who have no prior experience with lasers and desire a comprehensive understanding of the basics of lasers, optics, and laser applications before attending laser safety training. If you are new to lasers, this course will provide you with a thorough understanding of the fundamentals and solid preparation for laser safety training. If you have worked with or around lasers but desire a greater depth of understanding, there will be plenty of opportunities to ask all those questions that you have always wondered about but could never get answered. Course materials include many useful tidbits for those making laser measurements or specifying laser systems. This course is also lots of fun and a great way to begin your laser safety training.

1 ABIH CM point, 16 AAHP CECs, 1 BLS CM point

Monday -- Basics of Laser Technology (BLT)

• How Lasers Work
• Types of Lasers: Solid State, Gas, Diode, Liquid Dye, Fiber Amplifiers, Ultra Short Pulse
• Laser Output Characteristics: Laser Pulses, Beam Diameter, Beam Divergence, Beam Quality (M²)
• Measurements of Laser Output Characteristics
• Fundamentals of Laser Optics
• Focusing Laser Beams
• Beam Expanders
• Optical Fibers
• Interferometers
• Optical Coatings
• Q-Switching: Short Laser Pulses
• Mode-Locking: Ultrashort Laser Pulses
• Laser Systems and Applications