POLYUS Research & Development Institute is the largest laser center in Russia. The Institute was founded in 1962. In 1999 POLYUS RDI received the status of Federal State Unitary Enterprise.
The main lines of activities of the Institute are development and production of solid-state lasers and devices on their basis, semiconductor lasers of various types and transmitting-receiving modules for FOCs, laser gyros, laser medical and industrial systems, components of laser systems. Owing to the multistructure orientation, POLYUS RDI has retained its leading positions among high-tech enterprises during the market reforms in Russia. At present the Institute numbers more than 1400 specialists including 800 engineers, technologists and scientists. Among them are 2 academicians, 17 doctors of sciences and more than 100 candidates of sciences.
In recent years the development work at the Institute has concentrated on creation of functionally complete devices and components having concrete users. The restructuring of the scientific staff proceeds in the same direction. As a consequence, the volume of orders in the internal market of Russia grows, and the export part is steadily half the volumes of orders of POLYUS RDI.

The production base of POLYUS RDI provides all basic technologies necessary for development and manufacturing of products of quantum electronics. These are high-temperature Czochralski growth of active and nonlinear crystals, gaseous-phase epitaxy of semiconductor structures and future technologies for development of semiconductor laser chips, advanced technologies for deposition of thin-film antireflection and beam-splitting coatings, vacuum technologies. In recent years it has been possible to introduce also such new progressive processes as ion-beam deposition of mirrors and production of structures for high-brightness LEDs.

The combination of high technologies available at POLYUS RDI the powerful scientific school for lasers and laser technologies, the experience of many years in scientific research and development work allow the Institute to be among the world leaders in this field.
Today we offer for export more than 300 models of various types of lasers, devices and equipment for different applications on their basis.
The POLYUS's products are manufactured at 5 Russian plants, and our possibilities go beyond the production presented in our Web-site. POLYUS RDI is able to offer a wide range of applied scientific research, development work and engineering services to the users.
The development and production of devices based on solid-state and semiconductor lasers have been carried out at POLYUS RDI for more than two decades. A number of models of Nd:YAG laser rangefinders has been developed. The recently developed rangefinders use eye-safe lasers at 1.54 mm. Based on pulsed semiconductor lasers, velocimeters/rangefinders providing an accuracy of several centimeters it a range up to 1 km have been developed and are produced serially.
More than 50 models of pulsed solid-state lasers (with a pulse energy up to 1 J or a pulse repetition rate up to 400 Hz at an energy of 40 mJ) and CW solid-state lasers (with an output power up to 2 kW) are produced for such applications as metrology, location, industrial systems for welding, cutting, marking.
Based on solid-state lasers, systems for manufacturing souvenirs (making a pattern in the bulk glass), laser medical systems for surgery, ophthalmology, cosmetology (laser epilators) have been developed. The main trends in the field of laser equipment are creation of compact multifunctional systems and development of new technologies. To develop solid-state lasers, the production of rods and nonlinear elements for solid-state lasers has been organized at POLYUS RDI.
The production processes for growth, thermal treatment, optical treatment and deposition of dielectric and current-conducting coatings necessary for making modem laser rods, nonlinear elements electrooptic and passive Q-switches have been developed and introduced into production.
As a result of combined research, the range of lasers has been broadened and their lasing performance has been improved. Besides Nd:YAG and Nd:YAP crystals, the production of Er, Ho, Tu, Cr:GSGG, ISGG, YAG and YAP, crystals operating within an eye-safe range of 1.5...2.1 mm has been organized. Of great interest are Cr⁴⁺ :YAG laser rods that allow tunable generation within 1.4... 1.6 mm. Another active material developed at POLYUS R&DI to produce tunable generation and mode-locked generation is Ti:sapphire.
For diode-pumped solid-state lasers, microlaser elements have been developed that combine active and passive property (microchip lasers). New passive Q-switches based on transparent glassceramics doped with Co⁺² ions have been developed for eye-safe solid-state Er⁺³: glass laser at 1.5 mm.
The KTP crystals developed at POLYUS RDI provide a frequency-doubling efficiency more than 50% and about the same slope efficiency in parametric generation.
The photoreceiving devices being developed at POLYUS RDI are the most important part of the devices and systems where laser radiation serves as a main information carrier (rangefinders, locators, gyros, communication systems, etc.).
One of the recent development works in this field was development of a highly sensitive photoreceiving device for the eye-safe rangefinder at l.54 mm. One of the leading lines in the POLYUS RDI activities is development and production of semiconductor lasers. More than 40 models of semiconductor lasers have been developed and are produced. In this area POLYUS RDI is also the leading scientific center in Russia. The use of quantum-well structures has allowed broadening of the spectral range of semiconductor lasers from 0.8 to 1.6 mm. A conventional feature of such diodes is a high degree of polarization of generated radiation. By now CW laser diodes up to 2W based on the quantum-well structures have been developed. The efficiency of such diodes is 35...40%. The pulsed laser diodes based on quantum-well structures provide an optical power of 20...23 W at a pulse width of 100...130 ns, a pulse repetition rate of 5...20 kHz and a pump current no more than 40A.
Now POLYUS RDI completes the development of the domestic technology for manufacturing epitaxial wafers for high-brightness red and yellow LEDs and organizes their serial production. In this case the MOCVD technology is required, which is widely used at POLYUS RDI for production of a wide range of epitaxial structures for laser diodes including those based on AlInGaP.
The third leading line in the development work at POLYUS RDI is laser gyroscopy for civil aviation. At present the accuracy of laser gyros lies in the range from 0.01°/h (the linearly polarized KM-11-1A with the resonator made of precision prisms using high-frequency excited discharge) to 1°/h (compact circularly polarized laser gyros with magnetooptic bias using dc-excited discharge).
Laser gyros find application where their unique properties can be used most fully (the absence of moving mechanical parts, short readiness time, enhanced strength and resistance to mechanical and climatic action, higher potential accuracy and lower cost with comparable weight and overall dimensions).
Today POLYUS RDI is one of the leading Russian enterprises in the field of laser medical equipment. Many Russian clinics are equipped with the systems for surgery and ophthalmology developed at POLYUS RDI. The further work is carried out in the directions of development of laser equipment and its introduction into cardiology and physiotherapy, urology, oncology, phthisiology, surgery (more compact equipment, new wavelengths), dermatology, ophthalmology (including equipment based on semiconductor lasers).
The integrated use of the recent advances of the Institute in the field of laser engineering makes it possible to develop competitive high-tech laser medical equipment and to provide its wide introduction into medical practice.
The high scientific and technological standard of POLYUS's products and active work in the field of external economic activity allows us to export our products, the results of investigations and development work, engineering services to various countries of Europe, Asia and America.