Method and apparatus for spectral-beam combining of fanned-in laser beams with chromatic-dispersion compensation using a plurality of diffractive gratings
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- providing a plurality of laser beams including a first laser beam at a first characteristic wavelength and a second laser beam at a second characteristic wavelength;
providing a diffractive output grating;
providing one or more diffractive input gratings optically coupled to receive the first and second laser beams, wherein the first and second laser beams are non parallel to one another when they impinge on the one or more input gratings;
diffracting the first and second laser beams with the one or more input gratings at converging angles toward the output grating; and
spectrally combining the first and second laser beams into a single output beam at the output grating.
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Abstract
Apparatus and method for spectral-beam combining of light from a plurality of high-power lasers (e.g., fiber MOPA lasers) that, in some embodiments, use substantially identical diffraction gratings in a 1-D non-parallel, mutually compensating configuration to combine non-parallel converging input beams in one plane each having a slightly different successively higher wavelength into a single output beam of high quality. In other embodiments, an output grating and one or more input gratings in a 1-D parallel, mutually compensating configuration combine non-parallel input beams in one plane into a single output beam of high quality. In other embodiments, a 2-D plurality of input gratings in a non-parallel configuration combine a plurality of non-parallel input beams not in one plane each having a slightly different successively higher wavelength into a set of converging beams in one plane directed towards an output grating that compensates for chromatic dispersions introduced by the input gratings.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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providing a plurality of laser beams including a first laser beam at a first characteristic wavelength and a second laser beam at a second characteristic wavelength; providing a diffractive output grating; providing one or more diffractive input gratings optically coupled to receive the first and second laser beams, wherein the first and second laser beams are non parallel to one another when they impinge on the one or more input gratings; diffracting the first and second laser beams with the one or more input gratings at converging angles toward the output grating; and spectrally combining the first and second laser beams into a single output beam at the output grating. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of laser sources configured to emit laser beams including a first laser beam at a first characteristic wavelength and a second laser beam at a second characteristic wavelength; a diffractive output grating; and one or more diffractive input gratings optically coupled to the plurality of laser sources to receive the first and second laser beams, wherein the first and second laser beams are non parallel to one another, and wherein the one or more input gratings diffract the first and second laser beams at converging angles toward the output grating; and
wherein the output grating is configured to spectrally combine the first and second laser beams into a single output beam. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. An apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of fiber gain media configured to emit laser beams including a first fiber gain medium that emits a first laser beam at a first characteristic wavelength having a full-width half maximum (FWHM) linewidth of at most 1 nm and a second fiber gain medium that emits a second laser beam, non-parallel to the first beam, at a second characteristic wavelength having an FWHM linewidth of at most 1 nm; and means for spectrally combining and chromatic-dispersion compensating the first and second non-parallel laser beams into a single output beam.
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Specification