KW Fiber Pump Combiner with Polarization Maintaining Feed Through

ABSTRACT: Packaging is an increasingly important area for technology advancement in order to obtain lightweight, small volume footprints for airborne and other mobile applications. Most attempts at constructing HELs (High Energy Lasers) based on semiconductor pumped fiber lasers have involved combining many smaller high brightness laser diode pumps and integrating them into a single or multiple fiber amplifier chain. These attempts have resulted in the creation of fiber amplifiers of about the 1kW level that take an entire 19"Rack Cabinet. Clearly fiber amplifiers that have higher power in much more compact packaging are needed. In order to accomplish this, laser diode stacks that are highly improved in reliability, performance and cost are needed as well. Eotron has developed a new laser diode technology that overcomes the challenges associated with high brightness, and simultaneously lowers the manufacturing cost of all components. Eotron has identified specific process steps in the fabrication of silicon components where improvements in process parameters, equipment and/or materials can make a significant impact in reliability, manufacturability and yield over the current method. Additionally, these improvements lower the risk associated with building larger diode bar stacks, significantly advancing technology deployment. BENEFIT: TMany government projects can also benefit from the development and deployment of SMC technology. From the energy sector to the defense industry, SMC technology will deliver high brightness, compactness, reliability, and lower cost to many coherent and incoherent-beam-combining (ICBC) projects that use a high power laser. Eotron has identified specific process steps in the fabrication of silicon components where improvements in process parameters, equipment and/or materials can make a significant impact in reliability, manufacturability and yield over the current method. Additionally, these improvements lower the risk associated with building larger diode bar stacks, significantly advancing technology deployment.