Jones Andrew M, Gopinath Juliet T
University of Colorado - Boulder, Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
Opt Express. 2013 Jul 29;21(15):17912-9. doi: 10.1364/OE.21.017912.
Broad-area laser (BAL) diodes have found use in numerous applications requiring multi-watt powers, but remain limited by poor spatial beam quality. A novel laser cavity that enhances the brightness of a BAL array has been demonstrated. Wavelength beam combining (WBC) is used to spatially overlap output from the emitters. Improved beam quality is achieved by imaging the fast-axis mode onto the slow axis of the BAL array. The brightness is enhanced twofold over a typical Littman-Metcalf WBC cavity, reaching 47 MW·cm(-2)·sr(-1) at an output power of 1.16 W.
