Laser illumination beam generation system employing despeckling of the laser beam using high-frequency modulation of the laser diode current and optical multiplexing of the component laser beams
US7793841B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 30, 2007 |
| Grant date | Sep 14, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 5, 2028 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06K2207/1012
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A laser illumination beam generation system including a laser diode (LD) for producing a laser beam in response to a diode current supplied thereto, wherein the laser beam has a central characteristic wavelength. Diode current drive circuitry generates the diode current and supplies the same to the VLD. A high frequency modulation (HFM) circuitry modulates the diode current supplied to the laser diode, so as to produce a spectral side-band components about the central characteristic wavelength, and thereby reduces the coherence of the laser illumination beam as well as its coherence length. An optical multiplexing (OMUX) device receives the laser beam as an input beam and generates multiple laser beams therefrom and recombines the multiple laser beams so as to produce a composite output laser illumination beam having reduce coherence.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.