High brightness, monolithic, multispectral semiconductor laser

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10444524-B2
Application number	US-201815973792-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2018
Priority date	Apr 6, 2013
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

A system and method for combining multiple emitters into a multi-wavelength output beam having a certain band and combining a plurality of these bands into a single output using non-free space combining modules.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of forming a multi-wavelength beam, the method comprising:
emitting, from a plurality of beam emitters, a plurality of input optical beams into a non-free-space medium, each beam emitter emitting at an emission wavelength;
combining the plurality of input optical beams into a multi-wavelength beam within the non-free-space medium;
transmitting a first portion of the multi-wavelength beam out of the non-free-space medium; and
reflecting a second portion of the multi-wavelength beam, within the non-free-space medium, thereby causing transmission of the second portion of the multi-wavelength beam back to the plurality of beam emitters, whereby the beam emitters are each stabilized to its emission wavelength.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the input optical beams are combined at a diffraction surface disposed within the non-free-space medium.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising, after the input optical beams are emitted into the non-free-space medium, converging the input optical beams, within the non-free-space medium, toward the diffraction surface.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the multi-wavelength beam propagates within the non-free-space medium prior to transmission of the first portion of the multi-wavelength beam out of the non-free-space medium.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first portion of the multi-wavelength beam propagates within the non-free-space medium after the second portion of the multi-wavelength beam is reflected.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising reflecting the first portion of the multi-wavelength beam one or more times within the non-free-space medium before the first portion of the multi-wavelength beam is transmitted out of the non-free-space medium.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the multi-wavelength beam is transmitted out of the non-free-space medium at a dichroic surface.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising reflecting the multi-wavelength beam one or more times within the non-free-space medium after the input optical beams are combined into the multi-wavelength beam.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-free-space medium comprises a combining module within which the input optical beams are combined.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the combining module comprises a material selected from the group consisting of glass, silica, sapphire, CaF 2 , MgF 2 , and ZnSe.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the non-free-space medium comprises a transmission module from which the first portion of the multi-wavelength beam is transmitted out of the non-free-space medium, the transmission module abutting the combining module.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein at least a portion of the transmission module comprises a material selected from the group consisting of glass, silica, sapphire, CaF 2 , MgF 2 , and ZnSe.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising reflecting the first portion of the multi-wavelength beam one or more times within the transmission module prior to transmission of the first portion of the multi-wavelength beam out of the non-free-space medium.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising receiving one or more additional beams with the transmission module and transmitting at least a portion of each additional beam out of the transmission module with the transmitted first portion of the multi-wavelength beam.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein at least one of the additional beams is a multi-wavelength beam.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the beam emitters is a diode emitter disposed within a diode bar.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the non-free-space medium comprises a material selected from the group consisting of glass, silica, sapphire, CaF 2 , MgF 2 , and ZnSe.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the non-free-space medium is mounted on a cooling substrate.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the input optical beams are combined into the multi-wavelength beam without phasing the plurality of beam emitters.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-free-space medium comprises one or more coupling prisms into which the input optical beams are emitted from the plurality of beam emitters.

Assignees

• Huang Robin
• Chann Bien
• Tayebati Parviz
• Cruz Mike
• Teradiode Inc

Inventors

• Huang Robin
• Chann Bien
• Tayebati Parviz
• Cruz Mike

Classifications

• G02B27/1006 Primary

  for splitting or combining different wavelengths (G02B27/1086, G02B27/141 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01S5/4012 Primary

  Beam combining, e.g. by the use of fibres, gratings, polarisers, prisms · CPC title

• H01S5/4087

  emitting more than one wavelength · CPC title

• H01S5/005

  Optical components external to the laser cavity, specially adapted therefor, e.g. for homogenisation or merging of the beams or for manipulating laser pulses, e.g. pulse shaping (H01S5/026, H01S5/18388 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01S5/4025

  Array arrangements, e.g. constituted by discrete laser diodes or laser bar (H01S5/42 takes precedence) · CPC title