HIGH POWER LASER ASSEMBLY WITH BEAM COMBINING, MULTIPLE LEVELS AND FIBER COUPLING
A laser assembly ( 10 ) includes: (i) a first laser subassembly ( 16 ) that includes a first laser ( 26 a ) that generates a first laser beam ( 26 b ); a second laser ( 26 f ) that generates a second laser beam ( 26 g ); and a first beam combiner ( 26 j ) that combines the first laser beam ( 26 b ) and the second laser beam ( 26 g ) to form a first subassembly beam ( 16 A) that is directed along a first subassembly beam axis ( 16 B); (ii) a second laser subassembly ( 18 ) that includes a third laser ( 28 a ) that generates a third laser beam ( 28 b ); a fourth laser ( 28 f ) that generates a fourth laser beam ( 28 g ); and a second beam combiner ( 28 j ) that combines the third laser beam ( 28 b ) and the fourth laser beam ( 28 g ) to form a second subassembly beam ( 18 A) that is directed along a second subassembly beam axis ( 18 B) that is substantially parallel to the first subassembly beam axis ( 16 B); and an optical assembly ( 22 ) that compresses the subassembly beams ( 16 A) ( 18 A) to provide the output beam ( 12 ).
1 . A laser assembly for generating an output beam, the laser assembly comprising:
a first laser that generates a first laser beam;
a second laser that generates a second laser beam;
a third laser that generates a third laser beam;
a fourth laser that generates a fourth laser beam;
a beam combiner assembly that (i) combines the first laser beam and the second laser beam to form a first subassembly beam that is directed along a first subassembly beam axis; and (ii) combines the third laser beam and the fourth laser beam to form a second subassembly beam that is directed along a second subassembly beam axis that is substantially parallel to the first subassembly beam axis; and
an optical assembly is a prism compressor that compresses the subassembly beams to provide the output beam.
2 . (canceled)
3 . The laser assembly of claim 1 further comprising a fifth laser that generates a third subassembly beam that is directed along a third subassembly beam axis that is substantially parallel to the first subassembly beam axis and the second subassembly beam axis; and wherein the optical assembly compresses the subassembly beams to provide the output beam.
4 . (canceled)
5 . The laser assembly of claim 1 further comprising a fiber including an inlet facet, a beam focuser that focuses the output beam at the inlet facet so that the output beam is accepted by the inlet facet, and a focuser attachment assembly that allows for the adjustment of the beam focuser with at least three degrees of freedom relative to the optical assembly, and a fiber attachment assembly that allows for the adjustment of the inlet face with at least three degrees of freedom relative to the beam focuser.
6 . (canceled)
7 . The laser assembly of claim 1 wherein the optical assembly includes a plurality of spaced apart prisms.
8 . (canceled)
9 . The laser assembly of claim 1 wherein the first laser includes a first collimator that collimates the first laser beam, and a first beam corrector that further collimates and adjusts the pointing of the first laser beam.
10 . The laser assembly of claim 1 further comprising (i) a mounting frame including a first frame that retains the lasers to form a first assembly level, and a second frame that retains the optical assembly to form a second assembly level; and (ii) a transfer assembly that transfers the subassembly beams from the first assembly level to the second assembly level.
11 . A laser assembly generating an output beam, the laser assembly comprising:
a first assembly level that includes (i) a first laser subassembly that generates a first subassembly beam that is directed along a first subassembly beam axis; and (ii) a second laser subassembly that generates a second subassembly beam that is directed along a second subassembly beam axis that is substantially parallel to the first subassembly beam axis;
a second assembly level that includes an optical assembly that compresses the subassembly beams to provide the output beam, wherein the second assembly level is different from the first assembly level; and
a transfer assembly that transfers the subassembly beams from the laser subassemblies on the first assembly level to the optical assembly on the second assembly level.
12 . The laser assembly of claim 11 wherein each laser subassembly includes at least two lasers.
13 . (canceled)
14 . The laser assembly of claim 11 further comprising a third laser subassembly that generates a third subassembly beam along a third subassembly beam axis that is substantially parallel to the first subassembly beam axis and the second subassembly beam axis; and wherein the optical assembly compresses the subassembly beams to provide the output beam.
15 . (canceled)
16 . The laser assembly of claim 11 further comprising a fiber including an inlet facet, and a beam focuser that focuses the output beam at the inlet facet so that the output beam is accepted by the inlet facet, and a focuser attachment assembly that allows for the adjustment of the beam focuser with six degrees of freedom relative to the optical assembly, and a fiber attachment assembly that allows for the adjustment of the inlet face with six degrees of freedom relative to the beam focuser.
17 . (canceled)
18 . The laser assembly of claim 11 wherein the optical assembly includes a plurality of spaced apart prisms that compress the subassembly beams along an axis.
19 . The laser assembly of claim 11 wherein the first laser subassembly includes a first laser that generates a first laser beam and a first collimator that collimates the first laser beam, and a first beam corrector that further collimates and adjusts the pointing of the first laser beam.
20 . The laser assembly of claim 11 further comprising a mounting frame including a first frame that retains the laser subassemblies to form the first assembly level; and a second frame that retains the optical assembly to form a second assembly level.
21 . A laser assembly comprising:
a first laser subassembly that includes (i) a first laser that generates a first laser beam; (ii) a first collimator that collimates the first laser beam, (iii) a first beam corrector that further collimates and adjusts the pointing of the first laser beam; (iv) a second laser that generates a second laser beam; (v) a second collimator that collimates the second laser beam, (vi) a second beam corrector that further collimates and adjusts the pointing of the second laser beam; and (vii) a beam combiner assembly that combines the first laser beam and the second laser beam to form a first subassembly beam that is directed along a first subassembly beam axis.
22 . (canceled)
23 . The laser assembly of claim 21 further comprising (i) a second laser subassembly that includes: a third laser that generates a third laser beam; a third collimator that collimates the third laser beam; a third beam corrector that further collimates the third laser beam; a fourth laser that generates a fourth laser beam; a fourth collimator that collimates the fourth laser beam; a fourth beam corrector that further collimates the fourth laser beam; and wherein the beam combiner assembly combines the third laser beam and the fourth laser beam to form a second subassembly beam that is directed along a second subassembly beam axis; and (ii) an optical assembly that compresses the subassembly beams to provide an output beam.
24 . The laser assembly of claim 23 further comprising a third laser subassembly that generates a third subassembly beam along a third subassembly beam axis that is substantially parallel to the first subassembly beam axis and the second subassembly beam axis; and wherein the optical assembly compresses the subassembly beams to provide the output beam.
25 . (canceled)
26 . The laser assembly of claim 23 further comprising a fiber including an inlet facet, and a beam focuser that focuses the output beam at the inlet facet so that the output beam is accepted by the inlet facet, and a focuser attachment assembly that allows for the adjustment of the beam focuser with six degrees of freedom relative to the optical assembly, and a fiber attachment assembly that allows for the adjustment of the inlet face with six degrees of freedom relative to the beam focuser.
27 . (canceled)
28 . The laser assembly of claim 23 wherein the optical assembly includes a plurality of spaced apart prisms.
29 . (canceled)
30 . The laser assembly of claim 23 further comprising (i) a mounting frame including a first frame that retains the laser subassemblies to form a first assembly level, and a second frame that retains the optical assembly to form a second assembly level; and (ii) a transfer assembly that transfers the subassembly beams from the first assembly level to the second assembly level.
31 . (canceled)
32 . (canceled)
33 . (canceled)
34 . A laser assembly for generating an output beam, the laser assembly comprising:
a first laser subassembly that generates a first subassembly beam;
a second laser subassembly that generates a second subassembly beam;
an optical assembly that compresses the subassembly beams to provide the output beam;
a fiber including an inlet facet;
a beam focuser that focuses the output beam at the inlet facet so that output beam is accepted by the inlet facet;
a focuser attachment assembly that allows for the adjustment of the beam focuser with at least three degrees of freedom relative to the optical assembly; and
a fiber attachment assembly that allows for the adjustment of the inlet face with at least three degrees of freedom relative to the beam focuser.
35 . The laser assembly of claim 34 wherein the focuser attachment assembly allows for the adjustment of the beam focuser along three orthogonal axes relative to the optical assembly; and wherein the fiber attachment assembly allows for the adjustment of the inlet face along the three orthogonal axes relative to the beam focuser.
36 . (canceled)