Highly Reliable, High Power Cryogenic Red Diode Lasers

This Phase II Small Business Innovation Research project will develop a process for producing cryogenic high-efficiency 630 nm diode laser bars, and develop methods of assembling and testing arrays of such bars capable of optically pumping 100 kW level lasers such as the liquid oxygen Air Laser. The availability of such new pump laser arrays will provide risk reduction to DOD for critical technologies related to missile defense. Phase I succeeded in specifying design and fabrication details for the in-house production of 630 nm, 50 W diode laser bars, and identified vendors for packaging these bars into 1 kW multi-bar arrays which can be stacked into larger assemblies for 100 kW level laser pumping. Spire has extensive prior experience with high power diode laser array bar fabrication and multi-bar array manufacturing, and is currently manufacturing red LED and red laser products using in-house designed and MOCVD-grown epitaxial wafers in its state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing foundry. During Phase II Spire will prove the concept of producing and then combining 630 nm diode laser bars into multibar arrays, and will then demonstrate their reliability. Multi-bar laser arrays will be delivered to DoD at the completion of Phase II.