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Multifaceted Prism to Cause the Overlap of Beams from a
Stack of Diode Laser Bars
Patent No. 7,639,722
For information about this
technology, please contact:
Jeff Abbott
520-743-6878
[email protected]
Background: A high-average-power solid-state laser is typically pumped by
injecting light from high-power two-dimensional semiconductor laser arrays.
The laser arrays are frequently fitted with lenses that separately collimate
the output of the bars so that the pump light is collimated well enough for
transmission to the solid-state laser gain medium. Temperature nonuniformity of the gain medium causes wavefront distortion and
depolarization of the laser light, which degrades the quality of the solid-state
laser beam. It would be advantageous if the individual beams from the bars
could be made to overlap or to partially overlap in the gain medium to
thereby homogenize the pump beam.
Technology Description: AFRL has developed an optical element for
homogenizing and, possibly, concentrating the output from high-power
two-dimensional semiconductor laser arrays, which has the basic shape of
a convex-flat cylindrical lens with a facet cut into the convex surface for
each individual semiconductor laser bar.
Market Applications:
- Injecting pump light from high-power semiconductor laser arrays into
high average power solid-state lasers
Key Advantages:
- Individual beams overlap (pump beam homogenized)
- Uniform beam intensity
- Dimensions of overlapped spot are similar to those of the collimate
beams
Key Words: Solid-State Lasers, Semiconductor Laser Arrays, Convex Lenses