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Leading laser solutions developer, KMLabs Inc, has introduced the first commercial femtosecond laser source, the Y-Fi VUV, which delivers vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) light. It allows customers to probe material and molecular properties with unprecedented flexibility and on ultrafast time scales.

The discrete tunability of the KMLabs Y-Fi VUV (from 6.0–10.8 eV) enables researchers to study a wide range of materials and materials properties. A simple computer-selected change of photon energy provides a powerful capability, previously only available at a synchrotron. The ability to easily change the laser wavelength can enhance many experiments. For example, in angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) experiments, this tunability allows researchers to distinguish surface effects from bulk effects. For time-of-flight (TOF) studies of molecules, the tunability can distinguish otherwise identical isomers.

Y-Fi VUV is also highly focusable, and the appropriate optics can be used to reach spot sizes below 10 microns. This ability will allow researchers to examine new types of samples, including materials that are polycrystalline, spatially inhomogeneous, faceted, or simply very small. The new laser source produces pulses with durations below 250 femtoseconds, enabling researchers to probe ultrafast dynamics of molecules and materials. The 1 MHz repetition rate enables rapid data collection and avoids space-charge effects.

Additionally, Y-Fi VUV is “application ready,” including the appropriate focusing and beam-steering elements to enable fast integration with experimental apparatus. Importantly, Y-Fi VUV can be used with a window between the source and the experimental chamber, guaranteeing that applications demanding ultrahigh vacuum (such as ARPES) will remain contamination-free. In addition to ARPES, it will enable breakthrough research in photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM), photoionization mass spectroscopy (PIMS) for combustion research, and other studies of next-generation materials and molecular systems.

According to Kevin Fahey, CEO of KMLabs, with Y-Fi VUV, they open a new world of materials studies. Not only does it provide the first femtosecond laser source in a scientifically fascinating and technologically important wavelength region, but the degree of tunability of this source will provide incredible insight. It furthers the company’s vision of bringing synchrotron capabilities to the lab.

According to Professor of Chemistry, G. Barney Ellison, JILA, University of Colorado, Boulder, these laser systems will be transformational in the way chemical combustion research will be carried out. The combination of high brightness and tunability provides us with high signal levels and the ability to uniquely fingerprint chemical compounds. The Y-Fi VUV was launched at CLEO ’19 in San Jose, California, as KMLabs celebrated 25 years of advanced photon innovation. The product is immediately available for order globally.