SBIR-STTR Award

The goal of this project is to develop a power-scalable laser source in the Mid-Wave InfraRed (MWIR) range based on semiconductor laser technology. The main thrust will focus on power scaling using a simple passive coherent beam combination technique. Scaling the output power of a single laser diode element beyond a few Watts presents a daunting challenge as phenomena such as catastrophic optical damage or heat dissipation typically limit the maximum power that a laser diode can generate. Use of passive coherent beam combination allows circumventing such limitations and scale the output power by simply adding more single elements, while maintaining a diffraction-limited beam quality and the simplicity of laser diodes.

The goal of this project is to develop a power-scalable laser source in the Mid-Wave InfraRed (MWIR) range based on QCL laser technology. The main thrust will focus on power scaling using a simple passive coherent beam combination technique. Scaling the output power of a single laser diode element beyond a few Watts presents a daunting challenge as phenomena such as catastrophic optical damage or heat dissipation typically limit the maximum power that a laser diode can generate. Use of passive coherent beam combination allows circumventing such limitations and scale the output power by simply adding more single elements, while maintaining a diffraction-limited beam quality and the simplicity of laser diodes.