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Correction of beam errors in high power laser diode bars and stacks
Optics Express
|June 17, 2009
Summary
A novel refractive plate corrects beam errors in laser diode stacks, virtually eliminating the smile effect and reducing aberrations. This improves fast-axis beam quality by up to five times for better laser performance.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Semiconductor Lasers
Background:
- Laser diode stacks often suffer from beam errors, including the smile effect and collimator aberrations.
- These errors degrade the fast-axis beam quality and pointing accuracy of individual laser bars.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and demonstrate a method for correcting beam errors in an 11-bar laser diode stack.
- To improve the fast-axis beam quality and reduce beam-pointing errors.
Main Methods:
- A single refractive corrector plate was designed and fabricated using laser cutting and polishing.
- The corrector plate was integrated with an 11-bar laser diode stack equipped with fast-axis collimator lenses.
Main Results:
- The refractive plate virtually eliminated the smile effect in the laser diode stack.
- Collimator aberrations were significantly reduced, improving fast-axis beam quality by up to a factor of 5 for each bar.
- Beam-pointing errors were reduced to below 0.7 mrad.
Conclusions:
- A single refractive corrector plate is an effective solution for beam error correction in laser diode stacks.
- The developed method significantly enhances beam quality and pointing accuracy, enabling improved laser performance.
