Abstract: A laser light projector includes a laser beam generated by a laser light source, a scanner associated with the laser light source and having one or more moving mirrors capable of scanning the laser beam along X-Y coordinates, a scan-fail monitor and a safety-lens. The safety-lens includes a plurality of powers arranged for increasing the safety of the projected light within audience areas by increasing beam divergence in the audience, while keeping beam divergence low above the heads of the audience, thus allowing mirror targeting to occur.

Abstract: Terahertz quantum cascade (QC) devices are disclosed that can operate, e.g., in a range of about 1 THz to about 10 THz. In some embodiments, QC lasers are disclosed in which an optical element (e.g., a lens) is coupled to an output facet of the laser's active region to enhance coupling of the lasing radiation from the active region to an external environment. In other embodiments, terahertz amplifier and tunable terahertz QC lasers are disclosed.

Abstract: A light emitting device includes a light emitting element mounting component, including a cubic package component formed of a silicon member covered with a insulating layer, and the package component including a bottom portion, a sidewall portion provided to stand upright on both ends of the bottom portion respectively, and a backwall portion provided to stand upright on an innermost part of the bottom portion, and the package component in which a cavity is provided in an inner side, and a light emitting element mounted on an inner side surface of the backwall portion of the package component, and including a light emitting surface on an upper end part, wherein a plurality of said light emitting element mounting components are stacked in a depth direction of the cavity to direct toward an identical direction.

Abstract: This disclosure is directed to widen an adjustable range of the spectral linewidth of laser light output from a laser apparatus. This laser apparatus may include: (1) an excitation source configured to excite a laser medium in a laser gain space, (2) an optical resonator including an output coupler arranged on one side of an optical path through the laser gain space and a wavelength dispersion element arranged on the other side of the optical path through the laser gain space, and (3) a switching mechanism configured to switch a beam-width magnification or reduction factor by placing or removing at least one beam-width change optical system for expanding or reducing a beam width in or from an optical path between the laser gain space and the wavelength dispersion element or by inverting orientation of the at least one beam-width change optical system in the optical path.

Abstract: The invention relates to a laser diode structure, specifically for use in gas detection, with a hermetically sealed housing with electrical connections having a bottom and a window. A laser diode chip and a temperature control system for the laser diode chip are provided in the housing. A thermo element in the form of a Peltier element forms the temperature control system, and is connected via a lower flat surface to the bottom of the housing and via an upper flat surface to the laser diode chip, with a temperature-controlled beam shaping element as collimator provided between the laser diode chip and the window of the housing that acts on a laser beam emerging from a laser aperture of the laser diode chip before it passes through the window. The beam shaping element is in contact with the laser diode chip and is preferably connected via a boundary surface to the laser aperture with surface-to-surface contact or adhesively, or is made in one piece together with the laser aperture.

Abstract: A wavelength-tunable light source includes a quantum cascade laser that emits light from a first end and a second end, an optical system that collimates the light emitted from the first end, a first reflecting section on which the light collimated by the optical system is made incident, and a second reflecting section that partially reflects the light emitted from the second end of the quantum cascade laser and transmits the remaining light. The first reflecting section includes a plurality of diffractive gratings whose diffractive properties are different from each other and whose lattice plane directions are variable, and the first reflecting section diffracts a light at a particular wavelength corresponding to the diffractive property and the lattice plane direction of the selected diffractive grating in the direction opposite to the incident direction.

Abstract: An irradiating apparatus for irradiating an irradiation object with beam light emitted from a semiconductor laser, wherein letting w be a radius of a beam for irradiating the irradiation object, ? be a rate of individual difference in angle of divergence of the semiconductor laser, and ? be beam wavelength of the semiconductor laser, a focal position of an irradiating optical system interposed between the semiconductor laser and the irradiation object is defocused such that a distance z between the focal position and the irradiation object is z = ? · w 2 ? · 1 - ? 2 ( 1 - ? 2 ) 2 + 1 .

Abstract: The various laser architectures described herein provide increased gain of optical energy as well as compensation of optical phase distortions in a thin disk gain medium. An optical amplifier presented herein provides for scalable high energy extraction and gains based on a number of passes of the signal beam through a gain medium. Multiple, spatially separate, optical paths may also be passed through the same gain region to provide gain clearing by splitting off a small percentage of an output pulse and sending it back through the amplifier along a slightly different path. By clearing out the residual gain, uniform signal amplitudes can be obtained.

Abstract: A cylindrical lens having a refractive optical element and a diffractive optical element is used in order to provide a cylindrical lens that can preferably be fabricated cost effectively and precisely, and in the case of which optical aberrations and defects in semiconductor diode laser arrangements can be corrected. The diffractive optical element can include various segments.

Abstract: A laser diode arrangement having a multiplicity of laser diodes (11) arranged along side one another, comprises a heat sink (9) on which the laser diodes (11) are mounted and a cooling body (1) which is in intimate contact with the heat sink (9), wherein the cooling body (1) has two coolant channels (2; 3), which run parallel to the longitudinal axis of the heat sink (9) and are embodied as a feed channel (2) and as a discharge channel (3) for a coolant. According to the invention a multiplicity of cooling channels (5, 7; 6, 8) lying along side one another are provided, which branch off from the feed channel (2), lead past the heat sink (9), and open into the discharge channel (3), wherein cooling channels (5, 7; 6, 8) lying directly alongside one another branch off at different locations of the periphery of the feed channel (2) and of the discharge channel (3).

Abstract: A twin-beam laser module has a housing having a first cylindrical space and a second cylindrical space, which are adjacent and parallel in axial direction to each other. A first laser assembly is directly secured inside the first cylindrical space to output a first laser beam, and an outer cylindrical casing is positioned inside the second cylindrical space. A second laser assembly is provided inside the outer cylindrical casing to output a second laser beam, and an adjustment apparatus adjusts the orientation of the outer cylindrical casing so as to align the first laser beam and the second laser beam to be parallel to each other.

Abstract: A laser diode element assembly includes: a laser diode element; and a light reflector, in which the laser diode element includes (a) a laminate structure body configured by laminating, in order, a first compound semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type made of a GaN-based compound semiconductor, a third compound semiconductor layer made of a GaN-based compound semiconductor and including a light emission region, and a second compound semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type made of a GaN-based compound semiconductor, the second conductivity type being different from the first conductivity type, (b) a second electrode formed on the second compound semiconductor layer, and (c) a first electrode electrically connected to the first compound semiconductor layer, the laminate structure body includes a ridge stripe structure, and a minimum width Wmin and a maximum width Wmax of the ridge stripe structure satisfy 1<Wmax/Wmin<3.3 or 6?Wmax/Wmin?13.3.

Abstract: This invention relates to semiconductor laser apparatus with a structure for reducing the divergence angle of output light and for narrowing the spectral width. The semiconductor laser apparatus has at least a semiconductor laser array, a collimator lens, a path rotator, and an optical element with a reflecting function. The collimator lens collimates a plurality of laser beams from the semiconductor laser array, in a predetermined direction. The path rotator outputs each beam collimated in the predetermined direction, with a predetermined divergence angle in the predetermined direction in a state in which a transverse section of the beam is rotated by about 90°. The optical element is arranged at a position where at least a part of each beam from the path rotator arrives, and constitutes at least a part of an external resonator. This optical element reflects a part of each beam from the path rotator to return the reflected part of each beam to the active layer in the semiconductor laser array.

Abstract: Multi-pass optical imaging apparatus includes a concave mirror in combination with two retro-reflecting mirror pairs and at least one reflective surface. The mirror, the retro-reflecting mirror pairs and the reflecting surface are arranged such that a light-ray input into the apparatus parallel to and spaced apart from the optical axis of the concave mirror and incident on the concave mirror is caused to be incident on the thin-disk gain-medium at least four times, with each of the four incidences on the gain-medium being from a different direction. If the input ray is plane-polarized, the arrangement provides that the polarization orientation of the ray on each incidence on the gain-medium is in the same orientation.

Abstract: In the case of a lens array type homogenizer optical system, the incident angle and intensity of a laser beam 1 entering a large-sized lens (long-axis condenser lens 22) of a long-axis condensing optical system, which is provided on the rear side, are changed for every shot by performing laser irradiation while long-axis lens arrays 20a and 20b are reciprocated in a direction corresponding to a long axial direction of a linear beam (X-direction). Therefore, vertical stripes are significantly reduced. Further, the incident angle and intensity of a laser beam 1 entering a large-sized lens (projection lens 30) of a short-axis condensing optical system, which is provided on the rear side, are changed for every shot by performing laser irradiation while short-axis lens arrays 26a and 26b are reciprocated in a direction corresponding to a short axial direction of a linear beam (Y-direction). Therefore, horizontal stripes are significantly reduced.

Abstract: [Object] An object of the invention is to provide a laser device having high optical amplification efficiency. [Solving Means] A laser device 100 includes: an optical fiber 20 which includes a core 21 and a clad 22 and through which seed light and pumping light propagate; and a glass rod 50 which is doped with rare earth elements, has a diameter larger than that of the core 21, wherein the seed light and the pumping light output from the optical fiber 20 are input to the glass rod 50 to have increased diameters, and output light including at least the amplified seed light is output from the glass rod 50.

Abstract: One embodiment of a laser resonator comprises one or more laser resonator components, a container and an ozone generator. The laser resonator components include a non-linear crystal, a beam polarization combiner, an optical lens, a mirror and/or an optical grating. The container encloses the one or more laser resonator components. The ozone generator is configured to introduce ozone gas into the container.

Abstract: A nonlinear optical system may include optics, a non-linear optical crystal, and a uni-axial focusing element. The non-linear optical crystal is configured to generate an output beam from a non-linear optical interaction with an input beam. The optics are configured to image the input beam to an original input beam waist within the non-linear optical crystal, whereby the output beam has an original output beam waist. The uni-axial focusing element is optically coupled to the non-linear optical crystal. The uni-axial focusing element is configured so that the output beam has a new output beam waist at approximately the same location as the original output beam waist.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a white light source, and particularly to a white light source with crystal fiber and a method for color temperature tuning thereof. The white light source of the present invention comprises a pumping source for providing a first-color light, and a gradient index lens for coupling the first-color light into a crystal fiber. The crystal fiber absorbs a portion of the first-color light and generates a second-color light and a third-color light, and a white light with high color rendering index can be obtained. The crystal fiber is made of a first rare earth element oxide and a second rare earth element oxide co-doped yttrium aluminum garnet. The color temperature of the white light can be tuned by adjusting the position of the focus of the pumping light on the end section of the crystal fiber.

Abstract: A UV light generator for receiving a baseband light beam from a baseband light source is provided. The UV light generator includes a first lens unit, a second lens unit, a first frequency doubling crystal and a second frequency doubling crystal. The baseband light beam from the baseband light source passes through the first lens unit. The first lens unit and the second lens unit control a minimum of baseband light spot position and a minimum of second harmonic light spot position. The first frequency doubling crystal is disposed between the first lens unit and the second lens unit, and located on the minimum of baseband light spot position. The second frequency doubling crystal is disposed between the first lens unit and the second lens unit, and located on the minimum of second harmonic light spot position.

Abstract: The invention is directed to calcium fluoride crystal optics with improved laser durability that can be used for the transmission of below 250 nanometer (nm) electromagnetic radiation. The optics consist of CaF2 as the major component and, in one embodiment, at least one dopant/amount selected >0.3-1200 ppm Mg, >0.3-200 ppm Sr, >0.3-200 ppm Ba, while Ce and Mn are <0.5 ppm. The doped crystal and optics made therefrom have a ratio of 515/380 nm transmission loss of less than 0.3 after exposure to greater than 2.8 MRads of ?-radiation.

Abstract: Laser light wavelength control is provided by periodically predicting a next position of a light controlling prism using a model of the prism's motion characteristics. The prediction is then updated if a measurement of laser output wavelength is obtained. However, because the predictions are made without waiting for a measurement, they can be made more frequently than the laser firing repetition rate and the prism can be repositioned at discrete points in time which can occur more frequently than the laser firing events. This also reduces performance degradation which may be caused by being one pulse behind a laser measurement and the resultant laser control signal being applied.

Abstract: Surface emitting laser arrays with intra-cavity harmonic generation are coupled to an optical system that extracts harmonic light in both directions from an intra-cavity nonlinear optical material in such a way that the focusing properties of the light beams are matched.

Abstract: A laser amplifier includes a laser active slab with a source of pump power to amplify an input laser beam, the laser active slab including a block of laser active material having opposed lateral faces defining a wedge lateral dihedral angle, opposed longitudinal faces, and opposed parallel transverse faces, the wedge lateral dihedral angle specified to minimize parasitic amplified spontaneous emission. The source of pump power may be one or more laser diode bars and microlenses producing a gain sheet in the laser active slab. The lateral faces may include optical coatings highly transmitting at a wavelength of the pump power and highly reflecting at a lasing wavelength to provide a folded path for the input laser beam though the gain sheet.

Abstract: An illuminating apparatus includes a rotating phase plate having a height equal to or less than a wavelength of light from a light source and including a plurality of randomly arranged step regions so as to change a phase of light from the light source by allowing the light beam to pass therethrough; and a fly's eye lens including an array of a plurality of lenses configured to pass the light beam passed through the rotating phase plate, wherein a portion in which a product of a maximum size of the plurality of step regions and an optical magnification from the rotating phase plate to a plane of incidence of the fly's eye lens is equal to or less than an arrangement pitch of the plurality of lenses and a portion in which the product is larger than the arrangement pitch of the plurality of lenses are mixed.

Abstract: A tactical radiating device for directed energy includes at least two generators of high energy directed beams. At least one beam combining system combines high energy directed beams emitted by the generators into a combined high energy beam. A focusing device focuses the combined high energy beam.

Abstract: A laser diode structure for generating a collimated or divergent laser beam, preferably for application in gas detection, with a laser diode arranged in a closed housing, with the housing comprising a housing bottom, an exit window, electrical connections, a temperature control device for the laser diode, and an optical element for influencing the laser beam. The temperature control device carrying the laser diode is arranged on the housing bottom and the optical element is positioned at a distance from the laser diode. The invention proposes an electrically controllable power device for the cyclic alteration of the position and/or alignment of the optical element in relation to the laser diode so that the optical path length for the laser beam in the housing changes periodically.

Abstract: An adapted semiconductor laser package that may convert a first type of package pin-out arrangement to a desired pin-out arrangement. The laser package may include a laser package including a laser, an isolator, a lens, a fiber sleeve, and a pin-out arrangement. The isolator and the fiber sleeve may be jointly arranged away from the laser. The laser package may also include an adapter with a first section with a plurality of holes geometrically arranged and mated with the package pin-out arrangement, a second section with an adapter pin-out arrangement with two rows of pins extending along opposite sides of the package, and electrical connections between the plurality of holes and the pins.

Abstract: In the case of a lens array type homogenizer optical system, the incident angle and intensity of a laser beam 1 entering a large-sized lens (long-axis condenser lens 22) of a long-axis condensing optical system, which is provided on the rear side, are changed for every shot by performing laser irradiation while long-axis lens arrays 20a and 20b are reciprocated in a direction corresponding to a long axial direction of a linear beam (X-direction). Therefore, vertical stripes are significantly reduced. Further, the incident angle and intensity of a laser beam 1 entering a large-sized lens (projection lens 30) of a short-axis condensing optical system, which is provided on the rear side, are changed for every shot by performing laser irradiation while short-axis lens arrays 26a and 26b are reciprocated in a direction corresponding to a short axial direction of a linear beam (Y-direction). Therefore, horizontal stripes are significantly reduced.

Abstract: In order to improve a solid-state laser, in particular a solid-state disc laser, comprising a resonator (40) that defines a resonator radiation field (30) and at least one solid-state disc (12) with the resonator radiation field (30) passing through it, in such a manner that the thermal lens effect can be at least substantially compensated, it is proposed that in reflection the resonator radiation field (30) strikes at least one first adaptive mirror unit (50, 70), with which a distortion of the resonator radiation field (30) as a result of a thermal lens effect of the at least one solid-state disc (12) can be substantially compensated. An adaptive mirror unit (50) can be configured by a heated (58a, 58b) glass sheet (54) with an HR layer (52), for example, or by a pressure-induced deformation by means a fluid (78) in a space (76), which is enclosed with the mirror (72, 74).

Abstract: A pulsed light generator of the invention includes: an excitation light source; a fiber grating into which excitation light from the excitation light source enters; a rare-earth doped optical fiber optically coupled with the fiber grating, in which a rare-earth element is doped into a core, serving as an optical transmitting section; an optical switch including a deflection element for causing a Q-switching operation; a first optical fiber that causes light from the rare-earth doped optical fiber to enter into the optical switch; and a second optical fiber for waveguiding pulsed light output from the optical switch. One surface side of the optical switch, into which light enters, is subjected to anti-reflection treatment with a reflectance with respect to a wavelength of the pulsed light output from the optical switch being 0.1% or less.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a laser crystal device (1) for short pulse lasers, comprising a container (4), the interior of which is sealed relative to the environment and which contains a technically pure atmosphere with windows (12, 13) in the side walls (12, 13) for the passage of laser radiation (16), which in operation passes through a laser crystal (6), wherein the window (12, 13) has an inclination of the Brewster angle to the beam path of the laser radiation (16) and a mounting (5) for the laser crystal (6) is provided within the container (4), the windows (12, 13) are inclined to each other by double the Brewster angle and are placed at an adequate distance from the laser crystal (6) position, with relation to the laser beam properties, wherein the beam cross section at the windows (12, 13) is sufficiently large in order to guarantee a peak intensity at the windows (12, 13) which is sufficiently reduced in relation to the peak intensity of the laser beam (16) at the laser crystal (6) for avoidin

Abstract: Surface emitting laser arrays with intra-cavity harmonic generation are coupled to an optical system that extracts harmonic light in both directions from an intra-cavity nonlinear optical material in such a way that the focusing properties of the light beams are matched.

Abstract: A compact mid-IR laser device utilizes a quantum cascade laser to provide mid-IR frequencies suitable for use in molecular detection by signature absorption spectra. The compact nature of the device is obtained owing to an efficient heat transfer structure, the use of a small diameter aspheric lens and a monolithic assembly structure to hold the optical elements in a fixed position relative to one another. Efficient heat transfer is achieved using a thermoelectric cooler TEC combined with a high thermal conductivity heat spreader onto which the quantum cascade laser is thermally coupled. The heat spreader not only serves to dissipate heat and conduct same to the TEC, but also serves as an optical platform to secure the optical elements within the housing in a fixed relationship relative on one another.

Abstract: A means for optically coupling a semiconductor laser to an optical fiber is disclosed. In one embodiment, a volume phase holographic element is disposed on a light-emitting surface of a semiconductor laser. The volume phase holographic element acts as an aberration-corrector for a lens that is disposed between the semiconductor laser and the optical fiber. In this way, an inexpensive lens that is not aberration free can be used. In some embodiments, the volume phase holographic element converts a Gaussian light beam emitted by the semiconductor laser into an annular beam that is more suitable for long distance transmission in multimode fibers.

Abstract: A tuning methods of an External Cavity Laser Diode (ECLD), comprises steps of: (1) providing a laser light to a grating so as to tilt the grating to an optical axis of a collimated laser light, (2) adjusting the orientation of the grating relative to the collimated laser light, (3) monitoring singleness of longitudinal mode and optical power of a light emitted from the grating, (4) calculating an orientation of the grating to exhibit intended optical power at which the singleness of longitudinal mode shows at least predetermined value, (5) adjusting the grating orientation or the optical axis of the collimated laser light to the calculated grating orientation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for two-dimensional wavelength beam combining of laser sources. In one example, an external cavity multi-wavelength laser includes an array of laser emitters each producing an optical beam having a specified wavelength, a grating stack comprising a plurality of first-order diffraction gratings arranged linearly in a first dimension, and a dispersive element. The laser further includes a cylindrical telescope that images the optical beams from the array of laser emitters onto the grating stack. A first cylindrical transform lens spatially overlaps the optical beams in a second dimension forming a first region of overlap at the grating stack. A second cylindrical transform lens spatially overlaps the optical beams from the grating stack in the first dimension forming a second region of overlap at the dispersive element. The dispersive element transmits a multi-wavelength output beam comprising the spatially overlapped optical beams from the array of laser emitters.

Abstract: In a laser arrangement comprising at least one laser medium for producing a laser emission, a laser resonator having a beam path with a length of at least 20 cm and with at least one end mirror, the beam path within the laser resonator is formed at least partly by free-beam optics. A resonator element arranged in the beam path has at least two optical surfaces as surfaces interacting with the radiation led via the beam path, these optical surfaces being rigidly connected to one another and being adjustable together in the beam path in such a way that, on tilting by an angle error, they achieve substantially the same effect on the guidance of the beam path but with opposite sign, so that mutual compensation of tilt errors takes place.

Abstract: There is provided a multi-beam laser apparatus including: a laser beam source generating a beam; an incident lens disposed on a path of the beam; a beam splitter splitting the beam incident on the incident lens into a plurality of beamlets; and a beam path adjustor disposed on each of paths of the split beamlets to change the respective paths of the split beamlets. The multi-beam laser apparatus easily produces a plurality of beamlets and adjusts paths of the beamlets obtained by a prism to improve machinability quality and uniformity.

Abstract: A wavelength variable laser smaller in size than the conventional one can be achieved by arranging a gain chip, an etalon filter and a fifth reflective mirror on an AlN submount and longitudinally integrating the gain chip in which a 45° mirror and a lens are integrated and the etalon filter. A laser cavity has a structure in which light passes through an active layer from a first reflective mirror realized by an end surface of the gain chip, is reflected by the 45° mirror at an angle of 90° and then passes through the lens. The light having passed through the lens is converted into parallel light, passes through the etalon filter and reaches the fifth reflective mirror and is then reflected. The reflected light returns through the same optical path and reaches the first reflective mirror realized by the end surface of the gain chip.

Abstract: A laser amplifier includes a laser active slab with a source of pump power to amplify an input laser beam, the laser active slab including a block of laser active material having opposed lateral faces defining a wedge lateral dihedral angle specified to minimize parasitic amplified spontaneous emission. The laser amplifier may include one or more external mirrors highly reflecting at the lasing wavelength positioned and oriented to provide for zig-zag passes through the gain sheet for the input laser beam to yield a multi-pass-amplified laser beam. The source of pump power may be one or more laser diode bars and microlenses producing a gain sheet in the laser active slab.

Abstract: A power monitoring system uses a low loss reflective element to partially split the output laser beams from an array of laser sources, in a parallel configuration, to produce a monitor beams for each laser source. Each of these monitor beams may propagate within the reflective element in a lossless manner under total internal reflection and into one of a plurality of photodiodes that sense an optical characteristic such as output beam intensity, where this sensed signal is then used as part of a feedback control to control operation of the laser sources in the array.

Abstract: Provided are apparatuses for processing a surface of a substrate using direct and recycled radiation reflected from the substrate. The apparatus includes a radiation source positioned to direct a radiation beam toward a beam image forming system that forms a beam image on the substrate surface and a recycling system. The recycling system collects radiation reflected from the substrate surface and redirects it back toward the beam image on the substrate in a +1× manner. As a result, radiation incident on and reflected from the substrate is recycled through multiple cycles. This improves the uniformity of the radiation absorbed by the substrate in instances where the thin film patterns on the substrate would otherwise result in non-uniform absorption and uneven heating. Exemplary recycling systems suitable for use with the invention include Offner and Dyson relay systems as well as variants thereof.

Abstract: Two convex lenses (61, 62), each of which has a focal length “f”, and a 90 degree polarization rotator (5) are interposed between solid-state laser elements (21, 22) of a symmetrical resonator having the two solid-state laser elements (21, 22); a space between the two lenses (61, 62) is made shorter than 2f; and distances between the respective lenses (61, 62) and centers of their adjacent solid-state laser elements (21, 22) are set substantially to “f”, to thus achieve a solid-state laser capable of stably performing high power transverse single mode oscillation desirably having power of 100 W or more. There is acquired a wavelength conversion laser that is further provided with a Q switch (3) and a polarization element (4) and that causes an output fundamental wave laser beam to enter nonlinear elements (91, 92) so as to undergo wavelength conversion, thereby producing a high power harmonic laser beam having a high frequency of; desirably, about 100 kHz.

Abstract: A resonator cavity (10A) and method are provided. The resonator cavity (10A) includes at least one gain medium (16) and end reflectors (12, 14) which define together longitudinal modes of light in the cavity, and further includes an intra-cavity beam coupler assembly (20). The beam coupler assembly (20) is configured to split light impinging thereon into a predetermined number of spatially separated light channels, and to cause phase locking and at least partial coherent combining of the light channels, having common longitudinal and transverse modes, in a double pass through the beam coupler assembly (20). The resonator cavity (10A) is configured and operable to produce at least one output combined light channel of a predetermined intensity profile.

Abstract: A method and device for coherent addition of semiconductor laser emission, in particular for use in telecommunications. Individual emitters are coupled, each emitter to some extent experiencing some of the emission of all the others. Rather than all emitting independently of one another, the emitters are arranged in a common resonator. Using an optimization method, e.g., the simulated annealing method, the shape of the resonator mirror may be optimized until it optimally fulfils a preassigned set of mathematical requirements which constitute a set criterion. The individual emitters in the form of individual diodes, a diode matrix or a diode bar are arranged between two or more mirrors. At least one of these mirrors has a special, non-spherical surface that forms an internal correction element. Alternatively, the mirrors may be spherical-shaped with at least one non-spherical phase plate arranged in the resonator beam path.

Abstract: A method is provided for controlling second harmonic efficiency of laser beam interactions. A laser system generates two laser beams (e.g., a laser beam with two polarizations) for incidence on a nonlinear crystal having a preferred direction of propagation. Prior to incidence on the crystal, the beams are optically processed based on the crystal's beam separation characteristics to thereby control a position in the crystal along the preferred direction of propagation at which the beams interact.

Abstract: A surface-emitting type semiconductor laser includes: a lower mirror; an active layer formed above the lower mirror; an upper mirror formed above the active layer; and a lens section formed above the upper mirror, wherein n1>n, where ? is a design wavelength, n1 is a refractive index of a topmost layer of the upper mirror with respect to light of the design wavelength, and n is a refractive index of the lens section with respect to light of the design wavelength, the lens section has a thickness of ?/2n at an anti-node of the zeroth order resonance mode component among light resonating in the active layer, and the lens section has a thickness of ?/4n at at least a portion of an anti-node of the first order resonance mode component among the light resonating in the active layer.

Abstract: A compact mid-IR laser device utilizes a quantum cascade laser to provide mid-IR frequencies suitable for use in molecular detection by signature absorption spectra. The compact nature of the device is obtained owing to an efficient heat transfer structure, the use of a small diameter aspheric lens and a monolithic assembly structure to hold the optical elements in a fixed position relative to one another. The compact housing size may be approximately 20 cm×20 cm×20 cm or less. Efficient heat transfer is achieved using a thermoelectric cooler TEC combined with a high thermal conductivity heat spreader onto which the quantum cascade laser is thermally coupled. The heat spreader not only serves to dissipate heat and conduct same to the TEC, but also serves as an optical platform to secure the optical elements within the housing in a fixed relationship relative on one another.

Abstract: A laser diode illuminator device and a method for optically conditioning the output beam radiated from such a device, so that highly-demanding illumination application requirements that call for high output powers within a specified field of illumination can be addressed. At the heart of the device is a two-dimensional stack of laser diode bars wherein the linear array of beamlets radiated by each laser diode bar is optically conditioned through its passage in a refractive-type micro-optics device followed by a cylindrical microlens. The micro-optics device performs collimation of the linear array of beamlets along the fast axis of the bars, and it also acts as a beam symmetrization device by interchanging the divergences of the laser beamlets along the fast and slow axes. The cylindrical microlens is for collimation of the beamlets along the slow axis.