3D Printing an External Cavity Diode Laser Housing

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that 3D printing can be effectively used to create an external cavity diode laser housing suitable for undergraduate and research applications, offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional metal housings.

Contribution

The authors introduce a 3D-printed ECDL housing, characterizing its performance and showing it is adequate for spectroscopy and research where ultra-narrow linewidths are not required.

Findings

Performance sufficient for undergraduate spectroscopy

Cost-effective and accessible design

Adequate for research applications with moderate linewidth requirements

Abstract

The ability to control the frequency of an external-cavity diode laser (ECDL) is an essential component for undergraduate laboratories and atomic physics research. Typically the housing for the ECDL's diffraction grating and piezoelectric transducer is either purchased commercially or machined from metal. Here, we present an alternative to these commonly used options that utilizes 3D printing, a tool available in many physics departments. We characterize the performance of our ECDL system using atomic spectroscopy and self-heterodyne interferometry and show that it is sufficient for use in undergraduate spectroscopy experiments and a number of research applications where extremely narrow laser linewidths are not necessary. The performance and affordability of 3D-printed designs make them an appealing option for future use.