External cavity laser diode system and method thereof

• US 20070002925A1
• Filed: 10/25/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Coherent Inc (Coherent Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Nuvonyx, Inc. (Coherent Corp.)
• Inventors: Haake, John, Faircloth, Brian, Zediker, Mark
• Application Number:
  US11/256,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20070002925A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 372/98
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/06246 controlling the phase
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4012 Beam combining, e.g. by the use of fibres, gratings, polarisers, prisms
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4025 Array arrangements, e.g. constituted by discrete laser diodes or laser bar H01S5/42 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4062 with an external cavity or using internal filters, e.g. Talbot filters

Abstract

A method (and system) of coherently combining a plurality of diodes in an external cavity laser diode system includes adjusting the phase of the plurality of diodes to correct phase errors, wherein the adjusting the phase includes intercavity phase adjustment. The laser diode external cavity system includes an adjuster for intercavity phase adjustment.

Claims

1. An external cavity laser diode system, comprising:

an adjuster for intercavity phase adjustment of the external cavity laser diode system.

2. The external cavity laser diode system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a laser diode array comprising a plurality of laser diode emitters.

3. The external cavity laser diode system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a filter for combining laser diode output beams emitted from said laser diode emitters into a single coherent output beam.

4. The external cavity laser diode system according to claim 3, wherein said filter comprises at least one of a grating, an etalon filter, a mirror and a spatial filter.

5. The external cavity laser diode system according to claim 3, wherein said filter comprises a grating.

6. The external cavity laser diode system according to claim 3, wherein said filter comprises a spatial filter.

7. The external cavity laser diode system according to claim 1, wherein the external cavity laser diode system comprises one of a Fourier transform external cavity, a spatial filtered external cavity and a Talbot cavity external cavity.

8. The external cavity laser diode system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an anamorphic optic for circularizing an output beam of the external cavity laser diode system.

9. The external cavity laser diode system according to claim 8, wherein said anamorphic optic is disposed externally to the external cavity laser diode system.

10. The external cavity laser diode system according to claim 8, wherein said anamorphic optic is disposed internally to the external cavity laser diode system.

11. The external cavity laser diode system according to claim 5, further comprising:

at least one of an etalon filter and a Bragg grating for controlling a central wavelength of said laser diode array.

12. The external cavity laser diode system according to claim 2, wherein said external cavity laser diode system comprises a plurality of external cavity modules, and

wherein said external cavity modules comprise a filter for combining laser diode output beams emitted from said laser diode emitters into a single coherent output beam.

13. The external cavity laser diode system according to claim 12, further comprising:

a wavelength combiner for coherently combining said single coherent output beam of said external cavity modules.

14. The external cavity laser diode system according to claim 13, wherein said wavelength combiner comprises an external grating.

15. The external cavity laser diode system according to claim 13, wherein said wavelength combiner comprises an optical phase locked loop.

16. The external cavity laser diode system according to claim 2, wherein said laser diode array comprises a stacked bar diode array comprise a plurality of stacked bar diodes.

17. The external cavity laser diode system according to claim 16, wherein said phase adjuster comprises a phase modulator disposed in line with the emitter in said bar diodes in said stacked bar diode array.

18. A method of coherently combining output beams from a plurality of diodes in an external cavity laser diode system, comprising:

adjusting the phase of said plurality of diodes to correct phase errors,

wherein said adjusting comprises intercavity phase adjustment.

19. A phase adjuster for correcting phase errors in an external cavity laser diode system, comprising:

a phase modulator integrated into at least one diode of a plurality of diodes in the external cavity laser diode system.