High Power, High Beam Quality Tapered Diode Laser for Direct Use as High Energy Laser

High Energy Lasers (HELs) are needed for a variety of defense applications. However, the large size and weight of these systems hinders their practical deployment in the field. Much of the size and weight stems from the thermal management required because of the low efficiency of the overall laser. In the solution proposed by Freedom Photonics, we will improve the efficiency and reduce the size and weight of current High Energy Laser systems by utilizing the output power of diode lasers directly, removing the need for a fiber laser altogether. This solution will be based on high beam quality GaAs-based diode lasers, enabled by Freedom Photonics’ expertise in monolithic III-V photonic integrated circuit (PIC) technology. This revolutionary development will simplify HEL architecture, reducing cost and thus enabling the pervasive deployment of laser Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) in support of US military forces.