Patent · US Expired

Method for producing a highpower beam from a diode laser source having one array or plural subarrays

US5793783A · kind A · utility

32Cited by
17References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJan 31, 1996
Grant dateAug 11, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 31, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01S5/4031
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A method of producing a high power and brightness beam from diode laser source that either has a single emitting element or array with a plurality of segments or emitters that are concurrently addressable, or has a plurality of elements or subarrays each having a plurality of laser segments or emitters, which elements or subarrays are independently addressable relative to one another. Beam filling and focusing optics are disposed in front of the emitters so that light from the individual emitters from each subarray converge to from a single overlapping spot. Segmentation of laser subarrays and emitters improves laser life by reducing thermal gradients and isolating any local failures to a single segment emitters, while the focusing of the segments or emitters to overlapping light spots increases the tolerance of the source to local failures. Two or more emitters in a given element must fail before the source is considered to have failed.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.