Abstract: An optical source comprised of a stack of at least two laser diode subassemblies is provided. Each laser diode subassembly includes a submount and a multi-mode, single emitter laser diode. Each of the at least two laser diode subassemblies is mounted to a mounting member. Means are included to vertically displace the output beams from the individual laser diode subassemblies to form an optical source output beam. In at least one embodiment, the mounting member performs the function of the vertically displacing means.

Abstract: An extremely versatile diode laser assembly is provided, the assembly comprised of a plurality of diode laser subassemblies mounted to a stepped cooling block. The stepped cooling block allows the fabrication of a close packed and compact assembly in which individual diode laser subassembly output beams do not interfere with one another.

Abstract: An extremely versatile diode laser assembly is provided, the assembly comprised of a plurality of diode laser subassemblies mounted to a stepped cooling block. The stepped cooling block allows the fabrication of a close packed and compact assembly in which individual diode laser subassembly output beams do not interfere with one another.

Abstract: An extremely versatile diode laser assembly is provided, the assembly comprised of a plurality of diode laser subassemblies mounted to a stepped cooling block. The stepped cooling block allows the fabrication of a close packed and compact assembly in which individual diode laser subassembly output beams do not interfere with one another.

Abstract: A single piece optic for coupling the output of a diode laser array into an optical fiber array is provided. The coupling optic has a planar back surface which, during use with a diode laser array, is positioned substantially parallel to the front face of the laser array. The coupling optic is fabricated from a single substrate and is comprised of a plurality of optical elements. Depending upon the technique used to fabricate the optical elements, the individual optical elements may be trapezoidally-shaped or rectangularly-shaped. The front surface of each optical element is tilted, thus preventing reflected laser radiation from resonating within the diode laser's emitters. Preferably the wedge angle for the tilted front surface is greater than 2 mrad, thus accomplishing the goal of limiting feedback into the emitters, and less than 4 mrad, thus reducing beam steering.

Abstract: A means of controlling the stress in a laser diode structure through the use of AlGaAsP is provided. Depending upon the amount of phosphorous in the material, it can be used to either match the lattice constant of GaAs, thus forming a strainless structure, or mismatch the lattice constant of GaAs, thereby adding tensile stress to the structure. Tensile stress can be used to mitigate the compressive stress due to material mismatches within the structure (e.g., a highly strained compressive quantum well), or due to the heat sink bonding procedure.

Abstract: A means of achieving a spatially uniform output beam from a laser diode array with minimal design complexity is provided. The means is comprised of one or more optical elements located adjacent to the output of the diode array, the optical element(s) reducing the divergence of the output of the individual emitters of the diode array in at least one axis to within an acceptable range, preferably within the range of 0.1 to 10 degrees. The means is further comprised of a diffusing element, the output of the emitters passing through the optical element(s) prior to passing through the diffusing element. The diffusing element, preferably either a holographic diffuser or an engineered diffuser™ which provides control over the light diffusion angles, smoothes out the ripples formed by the overlapping output beams of the emitters in order to achieve the desired spatially uniform beam.

Abstract: A semiconductor laser and a method of forming the same are provided. The semiconductor laser includes cladding layers comprised of hybrid materials systems which have different conduction to valance band gap offset ratios with respect to GaAs. As a result of these hybrid structures, lower junction voltages on both the n-side and p-side of the laser structure are achieved, thereby increasing the electrical to optical conversion efficiency of the laser.

Abstract: An optic device is placed in close proximity to multiple gain elements so as to selectively modify the divergence of the light from said multiple elements such that when the light is subsequently collimated and diffracted from a grating and focused into an optical fiber, it will have a predefined cross-section that matches the mode of the fiber. Using this system and method, a more efficient light transfer is achieved in an intracavity fiber coupled multigain element laser.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system and method which provide a Raman pump which is spectrally tailored in response to feedback from control structure associated with the Raman pump source. In certain embodiments of the present inventions, an incoherently beam combined laser (IBC) is utilized to provide a spectrally tailored Raman pump. In these embodiments, emitters in an emitter array are either individually addressable or block addressable to facilitate adjustment of emitter output power. By adjustment of the output power, the Raman pump may be spectrally tailored. The spectral tailoring can occur by employing suitable control algorithms to algorithms to dynamically maintain reasonably flat Raman gain.

Abstract: An embodiment is directed to a system for dissipating cladding modes of an optical fiber. In the system, a high power light source couples optical power into the optical fiber at a fiber coupling point thereby producing the cladding modes; material is indexed-matched to the optical fiber and is optically contacted to the optical fiber near the fiber coupling point; and a substrate layer is operable to provide a thermal sink for heat generated from dissipation of cladding modes of the optical fiber.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system and method for providing a spectrally tailored Raman pump. The system and method employ an incoherently beam combined laser configuration to combine output beams from a plurality of emitters. Embodiments of the present invention provide emitter devices with electrodes adapted to allow addressability of various emitters. In some embodiments, each emitter is individually addressable thereby allowing the output power of each emitter to be controlled by a drive current. In another embodiment, blocks of emitters are coupled to a single current source. Each emitter of a block is operated at a common power level. In certain embodiments, blocks of emitters are driven at current levels significantly greater than the threshold current for the emitters to increase operating efficiency. Moreover, certain embodiments vary emitter spacing to increase linear power density and/or to allocate additional power to the blue end of the Raman pump.

Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods providing adjustable mounting with multiple degrees of freedom, such as three degrees of freedom allowing controlled adjustment of pitch, roll, and/or yaw. In providing such degrees of freedom, a ball member of a ball and socket mounting apparatus may preferably be disposed upon a surface and a mount, having a socket portion sized and shaped to correspond to a mating surface of the ball member, may be placed in communication therewith. The mount may have a component to be mounted placed thereon after the mount is placed in communication with the ball member. Preferably as part of the system manufacturing process, an adjustment mechanism is placed in communication with the mount and provides manipulating forces thereto, preferably causing the socket portion of the mount to slidably engage the mating surface of the ball member, in order to precisely position a component mounted thereon.

Abstract: A polarized input optical beam enters a polarization beam splitter/combiner (PBC), where a first polarization component of the polarized input optical beam continues to propagate substantially entirely along a first optical path, whereas at least a portion of a second orthogonally polarized component switches onto a second optical path. A loop back optical fiber incorporated in at least one of the first and second optical paths, adds propagation delay length greater than the coherence length of the polarized input optical beam, giving rise to delayed and undelayed optical beam components, which are then incoherently recombined into a depolarized output optical beam.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to method of fabrication of a broadband emitter array. Embodiments of the present invention may grown a first set of emitters possessing a first quantum well characteristic (e.g., quantum well thickness or composition). A portion of the first set of emitters is removed by etching. In place of the removed emitters, a second set of emitters is regrown with said second set of emitters possessing a different quantum well characteristic. By fabricating the emitters sets in this manner, a unitary emitter array may be fabricated that possesses an increased bandwidth, e.g., the first and second sets of emitters may be associated with different center wavelengths. Embodiments of the present invention may utilize emitter arrays fabricated in this manner in, for example, incoherently beam combined (IBC) lasers and in Raman amplifier systems.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system and method which utilize an incoherently beam combined (IBC) laser. The IBC laser includes a plurality of emitters with each of the emitters possessing a partially reflective surface on their front facet. The partially reflective surface causes resonant wavelengths to be defined. In certain embodiments, the system and method arrange the external cavity and emitter spacings of the IBC laser such that the center feedback wavelength provided to each emitter is an etalon resonant wavelength. In other embodiments, the range of feedback wavelengths is adapted so that it is greater than the free spectral range (the separation in wavelength space between adjacent etalon resonant wavelengths).

Abstract: The present invention is in general related to efficient operation of an external cavity laser and more particularly to a system and method of operating an external cavity laser utilizing one or more controlled linewidth gain elements. Specifically, the linewidth of an gain elements is broadened so that Brillouin scattering mechanisms in a gain medium are eliminated or reduced.

Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods which utilize mounting members adapted to provide consistent compressive pressure with respect to strata of a laminated structure, such as the heat source, TEC, and heat absorbing layers of a TEC stack-up, throughout a range of operating temperatures. Preferably, mounting members of the present invention are adapted to provide uniform compressive pressure across a surface area, such as the heat transferring surfaces of a TEC, to thereby provide a sound structure which is relatively resistant to dynamic forces. Preferred embodiment mounting members are adapted to minimize the transfer of thermal energy therethrough, such as to substantially avoid a heat leak in a TEC stack-up configuration.