ZAP-IT® Alignment Paper

Industry Standard Laser Alignment Thermal-Sensitive Paper
Simple, Quick, Affordable Laser Beam Alignment

ZAP–IT^® documents:

Beam Shape
Mode
Intensity
Divergence
Energy Distribution

ZAP-IT^® is sensitive over a broad spectrum from ultraviolet to infrared, it is used to align external accessories to the laser beam axis, such as beam expanders, lenses, apertures, attenuators, and power measuring equipment.

Misaligned	Aligned	What your laser beam should look like.

3 ms Pulse	3 ms Pulse	7.0 ns Pulse	70 ns Pulse	70 ns Pulse	10 ms Pulse
0.1 Joules	5.0 Joules	3 mJoules	90 mJoules	310 mJoules	20 Joules

ZAP-IT^® is simple to use. Hold or fasten it in the beam path at the point where the beam imprint is to be recorded. Pulse the laser and a permanent visual record is produced, corresponding to the energy distribution within the laser beam. If the laser being used is continuous wave (CW), you can create a short pulse by Q-switch, mechanical chopper, or by physically turning the laser on and off rapidly.

CAUTION: Always Wear Laser Protective Eyewear

Remove the fiber optic beam delivery system before taking the ZAP-IT^® burn. The fiber can scramble the mode structure of the beam resulting in a homogenous pattern which does not reveal irregularities in the laser beam.
For laser beam diameters smaller than ¼” (6.3 mm), use an expansion lens to increase the diameter and achieve greater detail in the ZAP-IT^® burn. Place a positive lens (most commonly available) in the beam path and take burns at a distance >2.5 times the lens focal length. The beam diameter is greater at this distance than at the origin.
Increase or decrease the laser output energy level to a point where detail becomes visible on the ZAP-IT^® paper. Not all lasers have enough output power to leave a detailed burn. For reference, a pulsed laser (femto to 50 milliseconds) with at least 10 millijoules output will usually yield good detail.
For laser beam pulses that do not leave sufficient detail, leave the paper in place and apply several pulses.

The imprint on ZAP-IT^® paper provides information about:

Mirror alignment accuracy
Energy distribution, mode quality and edge definition
Vignetting
Secondary emissions due to uncoated or mis-placed optics
Divergence
Optical damage in the beam path

Save ZAP-IT^® burns for historical evaluation and comparison of alignment and beam quality. OEMs and field service personnel commonly use previous burn patterns for quick performance checks.

ZAP-IT® Paper Material Safety Data Sheet

Hands-Free ZAP-IT®^® Holder for use with ZAP-IT-25.