Abstract: A visible light laser system and operation for welding materials together. A blue laser system that forms essentially perfect welds for copper based materials. A blue laser system and operation for welding conductive elements, and in particular thin conductive elements, together for use in energy storage devices, such as battery packs.

Abstract: The invention may be embodied in other forms than those specifically disclosed herein without departing from itMulti-kW-class blue (400-495 nm) fiber-delivered lasers and module configurations. In embodiments, the lasers propagate laser beams having beam parameter products of <5 mm*mrad, which are used in materials processing, welding and pumping a Raman laser. In an embodiment the laser system is an integration of fiber-coupled modules, which are in turn made up of submodules. An embodiment has sub-modules having a plurality of lensed blue semiconductor gain chips with low reflectivity front facets. These are locked in wavelength with a wavelength spread of <1 nm by using volume Bragg gratings in an external cavity configuration. An embodiment has modules having of a plurality of submodules, which are combined through wavelength multiplexing with a bandwidth of <10 nm, followed by polarization beam combining. The output of each module is fiber-coupled into a low NA fiber.

Abstract: There is provided a multi-clad fiber assembly for reducing and eliminating deleterious laser-contaminant interrelations, and methods of making these assemblies. There is provided an optical connector having contaminants that are shielded from causing detrimental thermal effects, during laser beam transmittion, by preventing laser-contaminant interactions.