Optical cross-coupling mitigation system for multi-wavelength beam combining systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9268142-B2
Application number	US-201514746951-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2015
Priority date	Mar 5, 2010
Publication date	Feb 23, 2016
Grant date	Feb 23, 2016

Abstract

A system and method for increasing efficiency and power output of a multi-wavelength beam combining system through providing a common output coupler to reflect feedback that stabilizes or individually seeds each emitter, and wherein the individual feedback is preserved by mitigating cross-coupling, wherein a multi-wavelength beam comprised of radiation having a plurality of wavelengths, high brightness and power.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wavelength beam combining laser system comprising:
a plurality of beam emitters each emitting a beam;
a dispersive element for receiving and dispersing the beams;
a cross-coupling mitigation system for receiving and transmitting the dispersed beams while reducing cross-coupling thereof; and
a partially reflecting output coupler positioned to receive the beams transmitted by the cross-coupling mitigation system, transmit a first portion thereof as a multi-wavelength output beam, and reflect a second portion thereof back toward the cross-coupling mitigation system,
wherein the partially reflecting output coupler is disposed within a Rayleigh range of the beams transmitted by the cross-coupling mitigation system.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cross-coupling mitigation system is afocal.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cross-coupling mitigation system comprises an afocal telescope.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cross-coupling mitigation system comprises a first optical element having a first focal length and a second optical element having a second focal length, the first optical element being disposed optically upstream of the second optical element.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the first focal length is at least two times greater than the second focal length.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the first focal length is at least seven times greater than the second focal length.

7. The system of claim 4 , wherein each of the first and second optical elements comprises a lens.

8. The system of claim 4 , wherein the first optical element is disposed within a Rayleigh range of the dispersed beams from the dispersive element.

9. The system of claim 4 , wherein the partially reflecting output coupler is disposed within a Rayleigh range of the beams transmitted by the second optical element.

10. The system of claim 4 , wherein an optical distance between the first and second optical elements is approximately equal to a sum of the first and second focal lengths.

11. The system of claim 1 , further comprising focusing optics for receiving the beams emitted by the beam emitters and focusing the beams toward the dispersive element.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein an optical distance between the plurality of beam emitters and the focusing optics is approximately equal to a focal length of the focusing optics.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein an optical distance between the plurality of beam emitters and the focusing optics is greater than a focal length of the focusing optics.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the dispersive element comprises a diffraction grating.

Assignees

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

Inventors

• Chann Bien
• Huang Robin
• Tayebati Parviz

Classifications

• G02B5/18

  Diffraction gratings {(holographic optical elements G02B5/32, G03H; integrally combined with optical fibres G02B6/02057; for coupling light guides G02B6/34; integrally combined with optical integrated light guides G02B6/12; grating systems G02B27/44)} · CPC title

• G02B27/1006 Primary

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

• H01S5/4068

  with lateral coupling by axially offset or by merging waveguides, e.g. Y-couplers · CPC title

• G02B27/0905

  Dividing and/or superposing multiple light beams · CPC title

• H01S5/141

  using a wavelength selective device, e.g. a grating or etalon (H01S5/146 takes precedence) · CPC title