High brightness, monolithic, multispectral semiconductor laser
A system and method for combining multiple emitters into a multi-wavelength output beam having a certain band and combining a plurality of these bands into a single output using non-free space combining modules.
1. A method of forming a multi-wavelength beam, the method comprising:
emitting, from a plurality of beam emitters, a plurality of input optical beams into a non-free-space medium, each beam emitter emitting at an emission wavelength;
combining the plurality of input optical beams into a multi-wavelength beam within the non-free-space medium;
transmitting a first portion of the multi-wavelength beam out of the non-free-space medium; and
reflecting a second portion of the multi-wavelength beam, within the non-free-space medium, thereby causing transmission of the second portion of the multi-wavelength beam back to the plurality of beam emitters, whereby the beam emitters are each stabilized to its emission wavelength.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the input optical beams are combined at a diffraction surface disposed within the non-free-space medium.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising, after the input optical beams are emitted into the non-free-space medium, converging the input optical beams, within the non-free-space medium, toward the diffraction surface.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the multi-wavelength beam propagates within the non-free-space medium prior to transmission of the first portion of the multi-wavelength beam out of the non-free-space medium.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first portion of the multi-wavelength beam propagates within the non-free-space medium after the second portion of the multi-wavelength beam is reflected.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising reflecting the first portion of the multi-wavelength beam one or more times within the non-free-space medium before the first portion of the multi-wavelength beam is transmitted out of the non-free-space medium.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the multi-wavelength beam is transmitted out of the non-free-space medium at a dichroic surface.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising reflecting the multi-wavelength beam one or more times within the non-free-space medium after the input optical beams are combined into the multi-wavelength beam.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-free-space medium comprises a combining module within which the input optical beams are combined.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the combining module comprises a material selected from the group consisting of glass, silica, sapphire, CaF 2 , MgF 2 , and ZnSe.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the non-free-space medium comprises a transmission module from which the first portion of the multi-wavelength beam is transmitted out of the non-free-space medium, the transmission module abutting the combining module.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein at least a portion of the transmission module comprises a material selected from the group consisting of glass, silica, sapphire, CaF 2 , MgF 2 , and ZnSe.
13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising reflecting the first portion of the multi-wavelength beam one or more times within the transmission module prior to transmission of the first portion of the multi-wavelength beam out of the non-free-space medium.
14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising receiving one or more additional beams with the transmission module and transmitting at least a portion of each additional beam out of the transmission module with the transmitted first portion of the multi-wavelength beam.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein at least one of the additional beams is a multi-wavelength beam.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the beam emitters is a diode emitter disposed within a diode bar.
17. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the non-free-space medium comprises a material selected from the group consisting of glass, silica, sapphire, CaF 2 , MgF 2 , and ZnSe.
18. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the non-free-space medium is mounted on a cooling substrate.
19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the input optical beams are combined into the multi-wavelength beam without phasing the plurality of beam emitters.
20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-free-space medium comprises one or more coupling prisms into which the input optical beams are emitted from the plurality of beam emitters.