Nanophotonic waveguides combine extremely tight optical mode confinement with high material nonlinearity. This combination allows even low-energy input pulses to reach peak intensities nearing 10¹² W/cm²!

However, since these intensities approach the optical damage threshold of the waveguide material, special care must be taken to ensure the seed laser system does not output large transient pulses.

The Fast Laser Amplifer Interlock Module (FLAIM) protects sensitive optical components, like nanophotonic waveguides, from high peak intensities by quickly triggering an interlock on connected optical amplifiers when the input power suddenly drops.

The FLAIM is a compact benchtop module that provides an adjustable input threshold for tripping the protection circuitry, shutting off the connected amplifier with a response time <1 ms.