Mitsubishi Electric Unveils 638 nm Red Laser Diode for Pico Projectors

Mitsubishi Electric has introduced a new 638 nm red laser diode (LD) that is ideal for portable display systems and pico projectors requiring bright red light sources.

The ML501P73 diode offers 1W output power, which is the highest among the 638 nm LDs.

Pico projectors are gaining popularity as they can be easily connected or embedded into laptops or mobile phones. The LDs are used as light sources for the pico projectors because of their capability to direct a wide range of colors. They consume less power and provide high output when compared to the LEDs.

The red LDs’ output power, at high temperatures, was not adequate for high-brightness projector devices because they had shorter wavelengths than 640 nm. Mitsubishi Electric leveraged its abilities in applying epitaxial growth technology and window mirror structures to generate 1 W output power at 638 nm wavelength

The ML501P73 laser diode’s luminosity is more than 120 lm because of lasing at shorter wavelength. It has a 35% electrical conversion ratio at 25ºC, thus allowing reduced power consumption. The LD functions at temperatures ranging from -5ºC to +40ºC. It can emit 0.5 W in continuous wave form and 1 W in pulsed output.