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Kentech Instruments is to launch one of the world's highest-repetition-rate integrated Pockels cell drivers this year at Photonex 2002 exhibition in Cardiff.
Kentech's new Pockels cell system has been developed at its UK research and development headquarters.
It can be configured as a Q switch or a pulse in/out system for regenerative amplifiers.
A variety of low-capacitance Pockels cells can be accommodated with BBO cells being recommended for operation above 10kHz.
Transition times of around 2ns can be achieved, with repetition rates to many tens of kilohertz, depending exactly on the configuration required.
"This is a significant breakthrough and the high repetition rate with only air cooling gives us a competitive edge", said Kentech director Tony Dymoke-Bradshaw.
"We are looking forward to showing the system at Photonex - which will be the first time we have exhibited it anywhere in the world".
Among Kentech's customers are the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, the LLE (Laboratory for Laser Energetics) in Rochester, USA, CEA of France and the University of Osaka of Japan.
Kentech, which was launched in 1983, specialises in the manufacture of high-voltage fast pulse-generator systems, X-ray streak cameras and gated imaging detectors.
 

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