The LWE-122 is a diode pumped IR (1,064 nm) laser utilizing a monolithic Non-Planar Ring Oscillator (NPRO). This and other Lightwave lasers are extensively covered in Sam's Laser FAQ, in the chapter: Commercial Solid State Lasers. Unlike the LWE-142 (below), most of the electronics are in a seprate microprocessor-based controller and the laser head only has a personality EEPROM and possibly photodiode preamp. The laser head IS the optics box. The cover and connector PCB seals via rubber O-rings.
Apparently, the LWE-122 never caught on as very few appear to have ever been built. It was succeeded by the LWE-125/126, which is functionally similar but with the controller built into the laser head (like the LWE-142).
Here are photos of an LWE-122 system and what's inside the laser head.
The LWE-142 is a diode pumped green (532 nm) laser utilizing a monolithic Non-Planar Ring Oscillator (NPRO) with a resonant frequency doubler. This and other Lightwave lasers are extensively covered in Sam's Laser FAQ, in the chapter: Commercial Solid State Lasers.
Here are photos of what's in the optics box of an LWE-142 laser. This is a fairly late version with a serial number of 2,779 on the bottom of the optics box, and 4,723 scribbled in Magic Marker on the side. I do not know why they aren't the same. It is brand new but probably failed final test and integration. When I installed this optics box into a known working controller, there were sporadic flashes of green light, but it was unable to lock properly. This was traced to a weak crystal TEC. With the pump diode off, the crystal temperature could be adjusted using the internal trim-pot. But with the pump beam heating the NPRO crystal, the proper temperature could not be maintained by the firmware. Therefore, the finely choreographed alogorithm that ramps up temperature while monitoring output power had no chance of succeeding.
Here are photos of what's in the optics box of an early version of the Lightwave Electronics model 142 laser. This one has a serial number of 233.
There is much more information on these Lightwave Electronics lasers in Sam's Laser FAQ, in the chapter: Commercial Stabilized HeNe Lasers.
