Abstract:
The invention relates to a device (1) for coupling wavelengths of laser beams (2a, 2n) that have different wavelengths (λ 1 ,..., λ n ), and comprising: at least one laser source (3) for generating a plurality of laser beams (2a, 2n), as well as a superposing device (7) for spatially superposing said plurality of laser beams (2a, 2n) so as to form a superposed laser beam (8) with a plurality of wavelengths (λ 1 ,..., λ n ). The device (1) comprises a feedback device which is arranged in the beam path between said laser source (3) and superposing device (7) for the purpose of feeding a beam portion of the laser beams (2a, 2n) to be superposed back to the laser source (3), and which comprises a partially reflective angle-dispersive optical element, particularly a partially reflective diffraction grating (6). The superposing device can, for example, be designed as a transmitting or reflective diffraction grating (7) whose optical properties are adapted to the optical properties of the partially reflective diffraction grating (6) in order for the laser beams (2a, 2n) to be superposed substantially without dispersion.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a device (11) for widening a laser beam, in particular a UV laser beam (4), comprising: a telescopic arrangement (6) having two spherical folding mirrors (7, 8) for widening the incident collimated laser beam (4), and a lens (3) arranged in the divergent beam path downstream of the telescopic arrangement (7, 8) and having a spherical lens face (3a) for collimation of the widened laser beam (5), wherein the first folding mirror in the beam path is a convexly curved spherical folding mirror (7) and the second folding mirror in the beam path is a concavely curved spherical folding mirror (8). The invention also relates to an associated method for widening a laser beam.
Abstract:
A variety of dense wavelength beam combining (DWBC) apparatuses are described herein that combine a plurality of individual input beams into a single output beam. DWBC apparatuses contemplated herein are open-loop configurations, i.e. configurations where the wavelength selective optics of a feedback generation system are decoupled from a beam combining system that combines a plurality of input beams each having a wavelength selected from a range of different wavelengths. Specifically, each constituent beam of the combined output beam produced by the beam combining system traverses an optical path that does not include the wavelength-selective optics of the feedback generation system. DWBC apparatuses contemplated herein further provide for matching the wavelength-dependent angular dispersion functions of optics of the feedback generation system with the wavelength-dependent angular dispersion functions of optics of the beam combining system. The external cavity laser diode array comprises edge-emitting LD (111A-111N), a focussing optics (112) for divergence control of the emitted beams onto diffracting optics (115), a retroreflector (120) and a half-wave plate (113) and a polarizer (114) for control of the output power. An intra-cavity spatial filter (116) may be used to control the spatial beam quality and an extra-cavity dispersive optics (122) for delivering a combined multi-wavelength high power beam.
Abstract:
Wavelength-selective external resonators can be used to greatly increase the output brightness of dense wavelength beam combining (DWBC) system beams by stabilizing the wavelengths of the beams emitted by the individual emitters of the DWBC laser source. The present invention pertains to external resonant cavities that utilize thin-film filtering elements as wavelength-selective elements in external resonators. The present invention further pertains to particular embodiments that utilize thin-film filtering elements in DWBC systems as both output beam coupling elements and wavelength selective elements. The present invention provides advantages over the prior art that include decreased cost, increased fidelity of wavelength selection, and increased wall plug efficiency.
Abstract:
Wavelength-selective external resonators can be used to greatly increase the output brightness of dense wavelength beam combining (DWBC) system beams by stabilizing the wavelengths of the beams emitted by the individual emitters of the DWBC laser source. The present invention pertains to external resonant cavities that utilize thin-film filtering elements as wavelength-selective elements in external resonators. The present invention further pertains to particular embodiments that utilize thin-film filtering elements in DWBC systems as both output beam coupling elements and wavelength selective elements. The present invention provides advantages over the prior art that include decreased cost, increased fidelity of wavelength selection, and increased wall plug efficiency.
Abstract:
In a diode laser structure (2) with a plurality of strip emitters (31 to 38) arranged side by side whose SA-axes are arranged in the same direction and at an offset to each other in this direction, wherein the beam parameter products (BPPSA) of at least a few of the strip emitters (31 to 38) are each shifted relative to the SA-axis, according to the invention the beam parameter product (BPPSA) of the strip emitters (31 to 38) decreases, starting from the middle of the diode laser structure (2), to the two edges of the diode laser structure (2), in particular in a mirror-symmetrical manner and/or from the middle of the diode laser structure (2).