SBIR-STTR Award

We propose to build the highest brightness direct diode laser ever constructed, a nearly diffraction limited laser subsystem at a power level of > 50 kW CW using wavelength beam combining (WBC). WBC is a technique which allows for the combination of many distinct diode elements in which the common output beam has nearly the same beam characteristics as that of a single element. Since wavelength beam combining is a truly scalable approach this will lead to scaling direct diode lasers to hundreds of kW with a nearly diffraction limited output beam.

There have been many recent developments in the direct energy weapon space throughout the armed services, including the demonstration of the Navys Laser Weapons System (LaWS), the Armys High Energy Laser Mobile Test Truck (HELMTT) and Mobile Expeditionary High Energy Laser (MEHEL) amongst others. Many of these systems (ex. LaWS) are based on a number of smaller fiber lasers spatially combined to produce higher output powers of 1050 kW. The main drawback of these fiber lasers are low efficiency (20-30 percent), and poor beam quality due to the spatial combination. Forward Photonics proprietary wavelength beam combining technology (WBC) effectively solves this problem, by allowing for the combination of many distinct diode elements with a common output beam that has nearly the same beam characteristics as that of a single element. In Phase II of this program Forward Photonics will provide a laser subsystem that meets the requirements of a directed energy laser.