SPEKTRALAS: Improvement of the spectral characteristics of high-power diode lasers - Pimp your diode laser!

Abstract:

Spectrally stabilized high brightness diode lasers enable power scaling concepts in the field of high brightness laser modules. Therefore direct material processing and the increase of the pumping efficiency of solid state lasers can be realized by the implementation of this technique. In frame of the SPEKTRALAS project the increase of the output power of high-power diode lasers including multimode single emitter and diode laser bars with DFB-structures or external cavity feedback are investigated. The global target of the project is the manufacturing of diode laser modules with 95 % power inclusion in less than 1 nm spectral bandwidth. Laser diodes with 100 µm facet width, 10 W output power and a conversion efficiency of 60 % will be produced. Laser prototypes will be developed based on single emitters and arrays (bars) with a maximum amount of 19 emitters each. One field of application of diode lasers with narrowed spectra is pumping of solid state lasers. Because of the thermal insensibility the cooling system can be simplified. Wavelength stabilization also enables the pumping of solid state lasers in narrow spectral absorption regions. Thus new pumping center wavelengths can be used to increase the efficiency of solid state lasers. This project is funded by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) in Germany.