Low-Cost Laser Diodes for Navy Applications

High power solid state lasers using different active media have emerged as critical components in a variety of military systems. These lasers are efficiently and reliably pumped by diode laser arrays, but the very high cost per watt of arrays poses aserious impediment to wide application, particularly where very high total powers are required. There is little prospect that conventional approaches to laser design can result in cost reduction of the required magnitude.We propose to fabricate arrays based on an entirely new design. The resulting arrays will be much cheaper to manufacture, test and assemble than conventional arrays. Our new approach offers, we believe, the only realistic pathway to prices in the single$/watt range. The radical reduction in cost of pump power will enable applications that are now economically impractical. Diode pumped solid state lasers for directed energy weapons and other military applications are currently impractical because of high pump cost. For similar reasons, the use of diode pumped lasers in important applications such as projection displays andmachining has been limited. By dramatically changing the cost structure of pumps, these applications will be made economically practical