Small, Low Cost Infrared Semiconductor Laser System, for Military Platform Protection and Free Space Communications

There exist important military requirements for low cost, high power mid-infrared radiation. Protection of aircraft and armored vehicles from heat-seeking missiles requires strong sources at wavelengths beyond 4 ¿m. Free space optical communications canalso benefit from mid-infrared sources that are much less affected by atmospheric conditions.There are currently no sources of high power mid-infrared radiation that are practical for battlefield use. We are proposing an innovative laser diode design that will generate high CW powers without requiring cryogenic operating temperatures. Thesedevices will generate high brightness beams at 4 ¿m and beyond with good efficiency. Besides infrared countermeasures for defense of aircraft and armor, mid-infrared sources have applications including spectroscopic detection of chemical warfare agents and free space optical communications. Civilian applications include free-spaceoptical communications for high bandwidth access and environmental monitoring of pollutants.