Abstract: A beam shaping device includes an SAC and an FAC. The SAC is placed between an LD bar and the FAC. A first incident surface and a first exit surface are formed in the SAC. The first incident surface includes a plurality of incident-side lens surfaces aligned in a slow axis direction X. The incident-side lens surfaces each have, in section orthogonal to a fast axis direction Y, a shape convexed toward the outside of the SAC and, in section orthogonal to the slow axis direction X, a shape concaved toward the inside of the SAC. The shape of the first incident surface and the shape of the first exit surface in section orthogonal to the slow axis direction X are concentric arcs having a point on an emission end surface of a light emitting layer as the center.

Abstract: A wavelength combining laser apparatus includes: a semiconductor laser emitting laser beams in an optical-axial direction perpendicular to a laser beam combining direction; a wavelength combining element combining the laser beams in the laser beam combining direction into a single laser beam; a cross-coupling reduction optical system having positive power in the laser beam combining direction perpendicular to an optical axis of the single laser beam output from the wavelength combining element; and a partially-reflective mirror reflecting the single laser beam having passed through the cross-coupling reduction optical system and also allowing the single laser beam to transmit through and exit the partially-reflective mirror.

Abstract: A laser machining device includes a plurality of oscillators to emit laser beams having different wavelengths from each other; a machining head to emit laser beams emitted from the respective oscillators to a machining object; a plurality of transmission fibers to transmit the laser beams to the machining head; a wavelength dispersion element; and a focusing lens to superpose the laser beams emitted from the transmission fibers, wherein the wavelength dispersion element is arranged at a position at which the laser beams are superposed by the focusing lens.

Abstract: A laser device causes, with a plurality of laser media that generate laser beams having wavelengths different from one another, a convergent lens to cause laser beams each emitted from the plurality of laser media to overlap one another on a dispersive element to form a single combined beam. The dispersive element is positioned where the plurality of laser beams are caused to overlap one another by the convergent lens to form a single beam, causes a portion of the plurality of laser beams to return back toward the laser media as a first laser beam flux, and outputs another portion of the plurality of laser beams as a second laser beam flux having a single optical axis.

Abstract: A laser oscillator includes: a plurality of laser media to emit laser beams having different wavelengths; a diffraction grating to emit, in a superimposed state, the laser beams incident from the laser media; a partially reflective element to reflect part of the laser beams emitted from the diffraction grating and return the part of the laser beams to the diffraction grating, and to transmit a remainder; and a plurality of lenses each disposed between a corresponding one of the laser media and the diffraction grating. The lenses are each disposed in an optical path formed between a corresponding one of the laser media and the diffraction grating, and the lenses superimpose the laser beams from the laser media on an incident surface of the diffraction grating such that the laser beams have an equal outer diameter.

Abstract: A laser device causes, with a plurality of laser media that generate laser beams having wavelengths different from one another, a convergent lens to cause laser beams each emitted from the plurality of laser media to overlap one another on a dispersive element to form a single combined beam. The dispersive element is positioned where the plurality of laser beams are caused to overlap one another by the convergent lens to form a single beam, causes a portion of the plurality of laser beams to return back toward the laser media as a first laser beam flux, and outputs another portion of the plurality of laser beams as a second laser beam flux having a single optical axis.

Abstract: A laser oscillation apparatus includes a wave plate and a diffraction grating disposed between a laser beam source and a partial reflection mirror. The wave plate changes polarization directions of laser beams emitted from semiconductor lasers to a second direction perpendicular to a first direction. The diffraction grating is disposed at a position where laser beams polarized in the first direction are superposed into one beam and laser beams whose polarization directions are changed to the second direction are superposed into one beam, superposes laser beams polarized in the first direction to have one optical axis, superposes laser beams polarized in the second direction to have one optical axis, and outputs superposed laser beams toward the partial reflection mirror. The laser oscillation apparatus includes a birefringent element to combine laser beams having mutually different optical axes output from the partial reflection mirror into one laser beams having one optical axis.

Abstract: A beam shaping device includes an SAC and an FAC. The SAC is placed between an LD bar and the FAC. A first incident surface and a first exit surface are formed in the SAC. The first incident surface includes a plurality of incident-side lens surfaces aligned in a slow axis direction X. The incident-side lens surfaces each have, in section orthogonal to a fast axis direction Y, a shape convexed toward the outside of the SAC and, in section orthogonal to the slow axis direction X, a shape concaved toward the inside of the SAC. The shape of the first incident surface and the shape of the first exit surface in section orthogonal to the slow axis direction X are concentric arcs having a point on an emission end surface of a light emitting layer as the center.

Abstract: A laser oscillation apparatus includes a wave plate and a diffraction grating disposed between a laser beam source and a partial reflection mirror. The wave plate changes polarization directions of laser beams emitted from semiconductor lasers to a second direction perpendicular to a first direction. The diffraction grating is disposed at a position where laser beams polarized in the first direction are superposed into one beam and laser beams whose polarization directions are changed to the second direction are superposed into one beam, superposes laser beams polarized in the first direction to have one optical axis, superposes laser beams polarized in the second direction to have one optical axis, and outputs superposed laser beams toward the partial reflection mirror. The laser oscillation apparatus includes a birefringent element to combine laser beams having mutually different optical axes output from the partial reflection mirror into one laser beams having one optical axis.

Abstract: A laser oscillator includes: an external resonator configured to include laser media to emit laser beams having different wavelengths; and a partially reflective mirror to transmit part of the laser beams and reflect and return a remainder toward the laser media. The external resonator includes therein: a diffraction grating to perform wavelength coupling on the laser beams having different wavelengths emitted from the laser media so as to superimpose the laser beams into one laser beam and to emit, to the partially reflective mirror, the one laser beam; and a prism that is placed between the laser media and the diffraction grating and that superimposes the laser beams into one laser beam on the diffraction grating, the prism including two surfaces forming an apex angle, one of the two surfaces being an incident surface and another of the two surfaces being an exit surface.

Abstract: A laser machining apparatus includes: a laser oscillator that emits laser light (L) having a plurality of wavelengths; a transmission diffractive optical element (21) that allows the laser light (L) to pass therethrough; a machining lens (3) that concentrates the laser light (L) that has passed through the transmission diffractive optical element (21); a distance adjustment mechanism (31) that changes a distance between the transmission diffractive optical element (21) and the machining lens (3); and an angle adjustment mechanism (32) that changes an angle of the transmission diffractive optical element (21) to switch between a state in which the laser light (L) is dispersed by the transmission diffractive optical element (21) and then enters the machining lens (3) and a state in which the laser light (L) enters the machining lens (3) without being dispersed by the transmission diffractive optical element (21).

Abstract: A semiconductor laser device includes: a semiconductor laser bar to output a plurality of beams with different wavelengths from a continuous light-emitting region; a light-condensing optical system to condense the beams; a wavelength-dispersive optical element having a wavelength dispersing function; an optical filter in which a wavelength of a beam that passes therethrough differs periodically; an aperture located on an optical path of the beams superimposed on an identical axis; and a partially reflecting mirror. A totally reflecting mirror is formed on a back side of the semiconductor laser bar, and wavelengths of a plurality of beams with different wavelengths reflected by the totally reflecting mirror and output from the semiconductor laser bar are respectively identical to wavelengths of beams that pass through the optical filter.

Abstract: A semiconductor laser device, in which, between a wavelength dispersive element and a partially reflecting mirror, such an anamorphic prism pair is arranged that is configured to increase an angle formed by a regular oscillation optical axis of a regular oscillation beam emitted from each of light emitting points and a cross-coupling optical axis of a cross-coupling oscillation beam oscillating through a different one of the light emitting points. It is therefore possible to increase oscillation loss of the cross-coupling oscillation beam, thereby improving focusing properties, without increasing the device in size.

Abstract: A beam combining device causing beams from a plurality of light sources and one or a plurality of spare light sources to enter a beam combining optical system, and to be combined and output after passing through a beam combining element. The beam combining device is configured to: detect a failure in the plurality of light sources; and move at least a part of the respective light sources, the spare light source, and the beam combining optical system, to cause a beam to enter the beam combining optical system from the spare light source instead of a beam from the failed light source, and to cause the beam to be combined to beams from the plurality of light sources on an optical path after the beam combining element.

Abstract: A semiconductor laser device including an external resonator including: emitters of a semiconductor laser which output a plurality of beams having different wavelengths; a combining optical system which spatially overlaps the plurality of beams output from the semiconductor laser; a wavelength dispersive element which overlaps the overlapped plurality of beams into a single beam by wavelength dispersion; and a partial reflecting mirror which reflects a portion of the single beam and returns same to the wavelength dispersive element, wherein when the width of the wavelength dispersive element in a direction in which the single beam is separated into a plurality of beams by wavelength dispersion is taken as a wavelength dispersive element width, and when the beam upon establishment of normal oscillation is taken as a normal oscillation beam, the wavelength dispersive element width is the same size as the width of the normal oscillation beam.

Abstract: A semiconductor laser apparatus, including: a beam divergence angle correction optical system for correcting a divergence angle of beams generated from light emitting points of a semiconductor laser bar; a beam rotation optical system for rotating the beams each having the corrected divergence angle; a wavelength dispersion optical element having a wavelength dispersion function; and a partial reflection mirror. A relative position of the beam divergence angle correction optical system with respect to the light emitting point in a divergence angle correction direction is changed for each light emitting point.

Abstract: A semiconductor laser apparatus, including: a beam divergence angle correction optical system for correcting a divergence angle of beams generated from light emitting points of a semiconductor laser bar; a beam rotation optical system for rotating the beams each having the corrected divergence angle; a wavelength dispersion optical element having a wavelength dispersion function; and a partial reflection mirror. A relative position of the beam divergence angle correction optical system with respect to the light emitting point in a divergence angle correction direction is changed for each light emitting point.

Abstract: A laser machining method and apparatus that allow accurate and fine scribing without the need of a large-scale dust collector and a large quantity of cleaning fluid when a thin film on a substrate is scribed by a laser beam. A laser beam from a laser beam source is focused by a lens, introduced into a window of piping and propagated through cleaning fluid, and the thin film is illuminated with the laser beam from the nozzle. Concurrently with this beam illumination, a jet of the cleaning fluid supplied using a fluid flow controller is discharged from the nozzle that is disposed about substantially the optical axis of the focused laser beam and sized in inside diameter such that the focused laser beam does not make a contact with the nozzle. By these processes, laser-scribing is performed.