Vertical Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) pumps for High Energy Erbium or Thulium Fiber Lasers

Army is interested in developing reduced eye hazard fiber lasers based on high power VCSEL pumps. Development of high power VCSEL pump array for pumping an Erbium or Thulium fiber laser would be an important objective for the Army for the development of efficient, high power, compact and cost effective fiber lasers at the eye safe wavelengths. Princeton Optronics has developed high power VCSEL arrays delivering hundreds of watts of power from small arrays and has developed moderate power high brightness arrays for fiber laser pumping. The technology, after the developments of phase I, is in a position so that in this SBIR it can be developed as the technology of choice for high power fiber laser pumping because of its potential very high brightness, lower cost, higher reliability and higher temperature of operation without chillers. We propose to develop the VCSEL pump technology at 976nm with a new approach to improvement of efficiency and a new approach to packaging. In phase II, we would build prototype of a 500W pump module delivering the output power from a 100u 0.22NA fiber which will be commercialized.