SBIR Phase I: High Power Density Disk Laser Devices

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I research will develop an advanced laser photonic device that exploits important technical and market factors including: (i) the large demand for small, efficient, high power lasers for materials processing and surgical applications, (ii) recent development of very high power disk lasers using ~ 0.2 x 10 mm disks (the disk design provides a nearly ideal configuration for small, high power density devices), and (iii) laser host materials which provide a robust gain medium that can dissolve large (>10%) amounts of dopant and exhibit extremely strong pump absorption at almost exactly 980 nm. The Phase I research will establish the feasibility of constructing very high power density solid state laser devices using heavily doped Glass disks containing Er: Yb and Yb as the gain media. A test laser will be built and pumped with 40 Watts of optical power and characterized. The proposed devices meet an important need in materials manufacturing where infrared power lasers operating at a wavelength ~ 1030 nm used for metal cutting, welding, and shaping, and in laser surgical applications which exploit Er-based laser devices that produce laser radiation at ~2900 nm where tissue absorbs strongly. Markets for power lasers are on the order of 1B$/year in the materials processing sector and several hundred million $/year in lasers for surgical/dental applications. Currently the materials processing market mainly uses Nd: YAG lasers. The new technology will compete with Nd: YAG which has low efficiency, large size and little potential for technical advance compared to the proposed new laser designs. Key marketing targets for the Phase I activities include the companies who already supply near infrared lasers