High-power diode lasers – from advanced chips to real-life industrial testing

FBH has continued successful field trials of its SAMBA laser head, demonstrating metal 3D-printing of test structures directly at an industrial partner’s site. At the core of this direct diode laser system is a compact module providing 1 kW continuous-wave (CW) output power. Its 780 nm wavelength is tailored to the absorption peak of aluminum. In parallel, the team at FBH has introduced lasers with narrower stripe widths and shorter resonators, raising CW conversion efficiency at the 1 kW level to 50 %. These improvements also doubled the achievable power density to 2 kW per square millimeter.

Further progress has been achieved in the development of pump laser sources, a key technology for inertial fusion energy (IFE) systems. FBH is employing new device concepts that enhance performance while reducing manufacturing costs. These innovations include multi-junction designs as well as advanced technological approaches for facet passivation and grating stabilization.

At the same time, FBH is steadily advancing its technological foundations, resulting in a substantial increase in the brilliance of broad-area lasers. A customized current profile along the resonator results in a homogeneous device temperature distribution, reducing the lateral far field by 30 % for the first time worldwide.