FEL & Synchrotron Facility Optics
Optical pump lasers, beamline diagnostics, vacuum-compatible XUV / soft-X-ray optics, and large-format scientific cameras for FEL endstations and synchrotron user facilities.
Step 1 — Define your goal
What are you trying to achieve?
Pick the experiment / project closest to yours. We'll route you to the right system architecture and BOM.
Step 2 — Confirm the problem
Common project challenges
If any of these sound familiar, you're in the right place. WaveQuanta engineers have seen — and solved — every one of them.
Synchronization between FEL and pump laser
fs-stable timing across hundreds of meters. Optical clock distribution + e-beam timing diagnostic.
Vacuum compatibility of every optic + mount
10⁻⁹ mbar bake-out. Polymer-free, low-outgassing materials. UHV documentation required for every component.
Long-term reproducibility (5–10 years)
Beamlines run continuously for a decade. Components must be supplied with batch consistency reports and spares.
Beam transport over 100+ meters
Pointing stabilization, vibration isolation, achromatic transport, and recovery from misalignment.
Multi-user, multi-beamline scheduling
Switchable beamline configurations, robust auto-alignment, remote control.
X-ray detector readout: speed vs noise vs dynamic range
FEL pulse rate × detector readout = data rate constraint. Pick CCD vs CMOS vs hybrid pixel.
Radiation-tolerant optics & detectors
Soft X-ray and UV ablate organic coatings. Use metallic / fused-silica / sapphire only.
Procurement traceability
National-lab purchasing requires CE / SEMI / ITAR documentation; supply contracts and audit trails.
Step 3 — Understand the system
Typical system architecture
Most projects in this area follow a similar signal flow. Your specific architecture depends on resolution, throughput, and form-factor targets.
Synchronized fs Yb or Ti:sapph drive for endstation pump-probe.
Long-distance routing, polarization, attenuation, beam-pointing stabilization.
Toroidal / KB mirrors, gratings, vacuum-compatible substrates.
Polymer-free, low-outgassing mounts, stages, and breadboards.
Optical-cross-correlator + electron-beam BPM for fs synchronization.
Step 4 — Pick the modules
Recommended system modules
These are the building blocks. Each module is a category of products — pick the right brand and grade for your project stage below.
Pump / Probe Optical Laser
Synchronized fs Yb or Ti:sapph drive for endstation pump-probe.
- Yb amplifier · 1030 nm · 100 µJ – mJ
- fs-stable sync to RF master oscillator
- Low timing jitter (<100 fs RMS)
Beam Transport & Conditioning
Long-distance routing, polarization, attenuation, beam-pointing stabilization.
- Active beam pointing stabilization
- λ/2 + PBS attenuator
- Vibration-isolated mirror mounts
X-ray / XUV Optics
Toroidal / KB mirrors, gratings, vacuum-compatible substrates.
- Gold / Pt-coated grazing mirrors
- High-LDT transmission gratings
- Fused silica / CaF₂ vacuum windows
UHV-Compatible Optomechanics
Polymer-free, low-outgassing mounts, stages, and breadboards.
- UHV-compatible motorized stages
- Bakeable optomechanics
- Kinematic pico-motor mounts
Pulse Arrival / Sync Diagnostics
Optical-cross-correlator + electron-beam BPM for fs synchronization.
- Optical cross-correlator
- High-speed photodiode
- Fs-stable delay line
X-ray Imaging Detector
Soft X-ray CCD or hybrid-pixel detector for endstation imaging.
- PIXIS-XO / PI-MTE3 / SOPHIA-XO
- LANSIS large-area imager
- Vacuum-bakeable design
Beam Profile / Intensity Monitor
Inline beam diagnostics: profile, intensity, polarization, pulse shape.
- Wavefront sensor (SID4)
- Fast photodiode for intensity
- Inline polarimeter
Wavelength / Frequency Conversion
SHG / OPA for tunable pump or harmonic seed.
- BBO / LBO SHG
- OPA for 200–2500 nm tuning
- HHG seed source if needed
Step 5 — Match your project stage
Choose your project stage
Same modules, three configurations sized for where your project is today. Move up the tiers as you progress from research to validation to OEM.
Research Starter
Single-endstation upgrade
Optical pump laser + diagnostics for a single endstation. Synchronized fs pump, basic beam profile, soft X-ray camera.
- Yb fs amplifier · 100 µJ
- Sync to RF master clock
- UHV-compatible optomechanics
- Soft X-ray CCD
- Beam profile + intensity monitor
BOM tier: $200k – $500k
Engineering Validation
Multi-instrument beamline
Full-scale endstation: synchronized pump, complete beam transport, X-ray and optical detectors, automated alignment.
- Yb / Ti:sapph drive · multi-mJ
- Fs sync + arrival-time monitor
- UHV beamline + KB / toroidal mirrors
- Multi-detector readout (CCD / pixel)
- Wavefront + pointing diagnostics
- Automated alignment software
BOM tier: $1M – $3M
OEM Production
User-facility supply contract
Long-term supply contract with batch consistency, traceability, and on-site service. Standard for national-lab procurement.
- Sealed industrial laser sources
- Full UHV documentation
- 5–10 year supply + spares
- On-site commissioning
- SEMI / CE / ITAR compliant
- SLA-backed service contract
BOM tier: Negotiated · multi-year
Step 6 — Run the numbers
Recommended calculators
Sanity-check your design before talking to an engineer.
Step 7 — Configure the system
Configure your setup with our engineering tools
Two ways to go from "this is what I want to do" to "this is the BOM I need".
Open Beamline Virtual Lab
Lay out the pump laser, beam transport, KB optics, and X-ray detector for your endstation. Verify UHV compatibility, export procurement BOM with traceability fields.
Launch Virtual LabAsk AI to scope my facility procurement
Describe your facility (FEL / synchrotron / FLASH-class), beamline target, and procurement constraints. AI proposes vendors, lead-times, and a compliant BOM.
Open AI ConciergeStep 8 — Anchor SKUs
Featured products for this application
Common picks for this application area. Your final BOM will pull from a wider catalog and be sized to your project tier.
WaveQuanta
HELIOS-HE Femtosecond Laser · 20 W
WaveQuanta
AURORA OPA · High Energy
Princeton Instruments
PIXIS-XO Soft X-ray CCD Camera
Princeton Instruments
SOPHIA-XO Soft X-ray CCD Camera
Princeton Instruments
LANSIS Large Area Soft X-ray Imager
WaveQuanta
SID4 HR Wavefront Sensor
LBTek
Calcium Fluoride Window — Vacuum Grade
LBTek
Motorized Linear Translation Stages
Step 9 — Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to the questions our application engineers hear most often.
How tight does the FEL ↔ optical laser sync need to be?
For most pump-probe applications: < 100 fs RMS jitter between the optical pump and the FEL X-ray pulse. Achieved with optical-clock distribution + fs-resolved arrival-time monitoring. Sub-10 fs requires active arrival-time correction in software using single-shot diagnostics.
UHV-compatible optomechanics — what to look for?
Polymer-free construction (no PEEK / PTFE in vacuum), bakeable to ≥ 150 °C, low-outgassing materials (304/316 stainless, OFHC copper, alumina), and verified leak-up rate. Every component should ship with UHV-compatibility certification from the manufacturer.
Soft X-ray CCD vs hybrid-pixel detector?
Soft X-ray CCDs (PIXIS-XO, PI-MTE3, SOPHIA-XO, LANSIS): photon-counting in 50–1500 eV, moderate frame rate (Hz–10 Hz), best linearity. Hybrid-pixel: faster (kHz), wider dynamic range, but more expensive and lower QE at low energies. Match to your repetition rate.
Can WaveQuanta meet national-lab procurement requirements?
Yes — we have supplied user facilities across three continents with full ITAR / EU export documentation, SEMI E10 reliability tracking, and 10-year batch-consistency reports. Long-term supply contracts and on-site commissioning are standard at OEM tier.
Beam transport over 100+ meters — how stable?
With active beam-pointing stabilization (closed-loop on a quadrant-photodiode) + vibration isolation: < 5 µrad pointing drift over a working day. Without active stabilization: 50–200 µrad. The stabilizer pays for itself the first time you don't have to realign mid-experiment.
Synchronization to a master RF clock — how?
Optical clock distribution: a CW laser locked to the facility RF master oscillator distributes timing over fiber. The endstation pump laser locks its repetition rate to the optical clock via a PLL. Fs-stable over kilometers when properly engineered.
Spare parts and long lead times?
For facility procurement we hold critical-component spares (laser modules, key optics, detector controllers) on retainer. Lead times for sealed industrial lasers: 6–12 months; X-ray cameras: 4–9 months. We negotiate priority slots for facility customers.
Can you support a beamline turnkey + commissioning?
Yes. OEM-tier projects include factory acceptance test, on-site installation, alignment, and end-user training. Most national-lab projects also include a dedicated WaveQuanta application engineer for the first year of operation.
Step 10 — Engineering Review
Application Engineering Review
Tell us your application, current setup, and project context. A WaveQuanta application engineer will return initial recommendations within 1 business day.
- 1 Application
- 2 Current setup
- 3 Project & purchase