MIRcat OPERATION
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D11-00028-02-A
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4
For CW Operation:
Connect liquid cooling to the inlet and outlet ports on the base of the MIRcat laser head.
Use the 7/16” plug with 1/4” hose barbs provided to attach clear vinyl tubing, with 3/8”
OD and 1/4” ID, to the cooling port quick disconnects, and the other ends to a chiller. Set
the chiller temperature to 20°C for normal CW operation.
NOTE:
To ensure proper cooling and longer lifetime for the QCL, CW operation
requires water cooling of the MIRcat laser head. Since the thermal load in the
MIRcat laser head is small, a minimum of 50W thermal cooling capacity should
be sufficient for most laboratory use conditions. Program the chiller to keep
the MIRcat baseplate at 20°C (or the temperature listed on your final test
sheet).
5
Plug the MIRcat Power Supply into a standard 3-prong, single-phase, AC outlet that
provides AC power within the following range: 90-264VAC, 47 to 63 kHz. A different AC
power cord may be required, depending on country of use.
6
With the Rear Panel Enable Key Switch in the vertical “OFF” position, turn the MIRcat
laser head on with the rear Power switch by momentarily pressing the black button. The
white LED on top of the MIRcat will come on. After initial power up, the MIRcat Laser will
perform a self-test. The system is ready to use after an audio beep is heard, usually 30-45
sec.
7
Launch the MIRcat Control Panel program on the computer and it will automatically
connect. Allow approximately 15 minutes for the MIRcat laser head to reach thermal
equilibrium before taking any precision measurements.
8
Turn on the laser light:
a.
When a safe path for the beam has been prepared, open the manual shutter on the
output of the MIRcat laser head.
b.
Make sure the proper Safety Interlock is connected on the back panel of the
MIRcat laser head for your lab configuration in order to safely turn on the laser.
(Note: the laser is shipped with a BNC shorting plug).
c.
Turn the rear panel Laser Enable key to the horizontal “ON” position. Click the
Arm Laser button on the Tuning tab on the GUI. After a 5 sec delay, the white light
on top of the MIRcat Laser unit will illuminate to indicate the laser is armed.
d.
On the Tuning menu, click on the “tune to wavelength” button and click the
TURN
EMISSION ON
button. The button label will change to
Turn Emission Off
and an
optional audible chirp will sound to indicate the laser is emitting light.
e.
The laser beam is now propagating parallel to the optical table.
