Simultaneous wavelength beam combination and dark region compressing using a segmented coated step prism group for a...

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Semiconductor Lasers
• Fiber Optics

Background:

• Semiconductor lasers exhibit beam quality differences between fast and slow axes, requiring beam shaping for fiber coupling.
• High-power applications increasingly rely on wavelength beam combination.
• Traditional methods use multiple prism groups, leading to higher optical loss and lower efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an integrated solution for semiconductor laser beam shaping and wavelength beam combination.
• To reduce optical loss and improve the efficiency of fiber-coupled laser systems.

Main Methods:

• Proposed a segmented coated step prism with dual-wavelength beam combination films.
• Investigated the performance of the novel prism group through systematic analysis and simulation.
• Simulated coupling of multiple semiconductor laser beams into a fiber with a 200 µm core diameter and 0.22 numerical aperture.

Main Results:

• The single prism group simultaneously compresses dark regions and combines wavelengths.
• Reduced the number of prisms required, thereby decreasing optical loss.
• Achieved 2306.8 W output power from four sets of semiconductor laser beams.
• Attained an optical conversion efficiency of up to 90.1%.

Conclusions:

• The proposed segmented coated step prism offers a more efficient method for beam shaping and wavelength beam combination.
• This integrated approach significantly reduces optical loss compared to traditional multi-prism systems.
• The method is effective for high-power fiber-coupled semiconductor laser applications.