Advancements in High Efficiency Semiconductor Lasers for High Power Applications
High power, high efficiency semiconductor diode lasers are used as the primary pump source in virtually all new solid state and fiber laser systems. In many cases, the output power scalability of the full system is limited by the pump diode performance (power, spatial brightness, and/or spectral brightness). Over the past decade, research and development in the commercial sector has resulted in significant improvements increase in each of these areas. Both diode laser power and spatial brightness are thermally-limited, and addressing each requires addressing the waste heat