One of the most obvious differences between a blue laser pointer and a green laser pointer is the price. A 10mW blue laser pointer costs $700 compared to the price of the equivalent 15mW green laser pointer which costs $100.
It’s not just blue laserpointers that are more expensive. Blue laser modules, OEM lasers, and lab lasers are also much more expensive than their green equivalents. The reason for such large price differences is the processes used to generate the laser beam, the components used, and the manufacturing volumes.
Beam generation process
Both blue and green laser pointers use a pump diode that emits 808nm infrared light that is used to pump the same type of crystals. The pumped crystals, in turn, emit light in the far infrared spectrum. The difference between blue and green lasers is the optical coatings on the pumped crystals and the type of far-infrared light produced by these crystals.
The crystals pumped into a green laser pointer have an optical coating that causes the crystals to emit primarily 1064nm infrared light whose frequency is doubled by another crystal to 532nm green light. The crystals pumped into a blue laser pointer have a different coating that causes the crystals to emit primarily 946nm infrared light, the frequency of which is also doubled by another crystal at 473nm light.
The components
The process of producing 1064nm light is much more efficient than producing 946nm light, so blue laser pointers need a large pump diode to produce the same power. The larger pump diode makes blue laser pointers more expensive. Frequency doubling crystals in blue laserpointers are rarer and more expensive than those in green laserpointers.
Manufacturing volumes
Green laser pointers have better visibility than blue laser pointers and have fewer temperature issues at higher power levels. This means that green lasers are used for a greater number of diverse applications, such as astronomy, orientation, burning and signaling, and are manufactured in very high volumes. Blue laser pointers, on the other hand, have a much more limited application and are manufactured in much lower volumes. Like any product, the smaller the volume produced, the more expensive the product.
Article courtesy of Dragonlasers – #1 Online Store for Lasers, Laser Pointers & Green Lasers