The Bar Has Been Raised

High-power diode lasers are the most effective artificial light sources. This type of laser's use in the industrial field still is in the early stages and its potential in general has largely yet to be explored.

In the research and development department of the JENOPTIK Laserdiode GmbH - a company of the JENOPTIK Group - semiconductor bars from various manufacturers were examined as part of a project funded by BMBF (BRILASI) for achievable total performance in the cw mode of operation. The maximum capacity of material, layers, installation technology, cooling method, etc. were all taken into account.

It was here that a new record could be achieved: 454 watts in cw mode was measured from a semiconductor bar with the dimensions 10 mm ´ 2 mm and a wavelength of 940 nm. The innovative cooling system of the semiconductor bar in connection with its high electro-optical efficiency made the operation at 580 A possible.

The semiconductor material in question was produced at the JENOPTIK Diode Lab GmbH in Berlin, also a member of the JENOPTIK Group. The company was founded two years ago for the exactly the purpose of pushing the borders of semiconductor lasers into uncharted territory to broaden the use of these lasers. Specifically focussing on influencing emission characteristics, efficiency and thermal behaviour is the key to successful laser bar development.

Studying the behavior of high-power diode lasers being pushed to the limits leads to improvements in the products of the JENOPTIK Laserdiode GmbH. Currently the standard line of products offers up to 120 W for actively cooled und 60 W for passively cooled semiconductor lasers.

SOURCE: Jenoptik