High-power linewidth-narrowed applications of laser diode arrays demand high beam quality in the fast, or vertical, axis. This requires very high fast-axis collimation (FAC) quality with sub-mrad angular errors, especially where laser diode bars are wavelength-locked by a volume Bragg grating (VBG) to achieve high pumping efficiency in solid-state and fiber lasers. The micron-scale height deviation of emitters in a bar against the FAC lens causes the so-called smile effect with variable beam pointing errors and wavelength locking degradation.
We report a bar smile imaging setup allowing FAC-free smile measurement in both QCW and CW modes. By Gaussian beam simulation, we establish optimum smile imaging conditions to obtain high resolution and accuracy with well-resolved emitter images.
We then investigate the changes in the smile shape and magnitude under thermal stresses such as variable duty cycles in QCW mode and, ultimately, CW operation. Our smile measurement setup provides useful insights into the smile behavior and correlation between the bar collimation in QCW mode and operating conditions under CW pumping. With relaxed alignment tolerances afforded by our measurement setup, we can screen bars for smile compliance and potential VBG lockability prior to assembly, with benefits in both lower manufacturing costs and higher yield.
KEYWORDS: Semiconductor lasers, High power lasers, Diodes, Astronomical imaging, Space operations, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Contamination, Single crystal X-ray diffraction, Reliability
Several ESA missions incorporate high power laser systems as core constituents of the payload. Instruments based on techniques such as Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) can offer extremely accurate measurements of great scientific and industrial interest such as atmosphere composition, wind speed, aerosol presence, topography and water depth, surface backscattering and many more. Other active optical techniques such as Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) enable the remote testing of the composition of rocks. Rendezvous sensors can guide the approach and docking of spacecraft, or assist in the descent of a lander on a surface.
Fiber-coupled laser diode modules employ power scaling of single emitters for fiber laser pumping. To this end, techniques such as geometrical, spectral and polarization beam combining (PBC) are used. For PBC, linear polarization with high degree of purity is important, as any non-perfectly polarized light leads to losses and heating. Furthermore, PBC is typically performed in a collimated portion of the beams, which also cancels the angular dependence of the PBC element, e.g., beam-splitter. However, we discovered that single emitters have variable degrees of polarization, which depends both on the operating current and far-field divergence. We present data to show angle-resolved polarization measurements that correlate with the ignition of high-order modes in the slow-axis emission of the emitter. We demonstrate that the ultimate laser brightness includes not only the standard parameters such as power, emitting area and beam divergence, but also the degree of polarization (DoP), which is a strong function of the latter. Improved slow-axis divergence, therefore, contributes not only to high brightness but also high beam combining efficiency through polarization.
Wavelength-stabilized high-brightness single emitters are commonly used in fiber-coupled laser diode modules for pumping Yb-doped lasers at 976 nm, and Nd-doped ones at 808 nm. We investigate the spectral behavior of single emitters under wavelength-selective feedback from a volume Bragg (or hologram) grating (VBG) in a multi-emitter module.
By integrating a full VBG model as a multi-layer thin film structure with commercial raytracing software, we simulated wavelength locking conditions as a function of beam divergence and angular alignment tolerances. Good correlation between the simulated VBG feedback strength and experimentally measured locking ranges, in both VBG misalignment angle and laser temperature, is demonstrated.
The challenges of assembling multi-emitter modules based on beam-stacked optical architectures are specifically addressed, where the wavelength locking conditions must be achieved simultaneously with high fiber coupling efficiency for each emitter in the module. It is shown that angular misorientation between fast and slow-axis collimating optics can have a dramatic effect on the spectral and power performance of the module.
We report the development of our NEON-S wavelength-stabilized fiber laser pump module, which uses a VBG to provide wavelength-selective optical feedback in the collimated portion of the beam. Powered by our purpose-developed high-brightness single emitters, the module delivers 47 W output at 11 A from an 0.15 NA fiber and a 0.3 nm linewidth at 976 nm. Preliminary wavelength-locking results at 808 nm are also presented.
Fiber laser manufacturers demand high-brightness laser diode pumps delivering optical pump energy in both a compact
fiber core and narrow angular content. A pump delivery fiber of a 105 μm core and 0.22 numerical aperture (NA) is
typically used, where the fiber NA is under-filled to ease the launch of laser diode emission into the fiber and make the
fiber tolerant to bending. At SCD, we have developed high-brightness NEON multi-emitter fiber-coupled pump modules
that deliver 50 W output from a 105 μm, 0.15 NA fiber enabling low-NA power delivery to a customer’s fiber laser
network.
Brightness-enhanced single emitters are engineered with ultra-low divergence for compatibility with the low-NA
delivery fiber, with the latest emitters delivering 14 W with 95% of the slow-axis energy contained within an NA of
0.09. The reduced slow-axis divergence is achieved with an optimized epitaxial design, where the peak optical intensity
is reduced to both lessen filamentation within the laser cavity and reduce the power density on the output facet thus
increasing the emitter reliability.
The low mode filling of the fiber allows it to be coiled with diameters down to 70 mm at full operating power despite the
small NA and further eliminates the need for mode-stripping at fiber combiners and splices downstream from our pump
modules. 50W fiber pump products at 915, 950 and 975 nm wavelengths are presented, including a wavelengthstabilized
version at 976 nm.
Fiber laser manufacturers demand high-brightness laser diode pumps delivering optical pump energy in both a compact
fiber core and narrow angular content. A pump delivery fiber of a 105 μm core and 0.22 numerical aperture (NA) is
typically used, where the fiber NA is under-filled to ease the launch of laser diode emission into the fiber and make the
fiber tolerant to bending. At SCD, we have developed multi-emitter fiber-coupled pump modules that deliver 50 W
output from a 105 μm, 0.15 NA fiber at 915, 950 and 976 nm wavelengths enabling low-NA power delivery to a
customer’s fiber laser network.
In this work, we address the challenges of coupling and propagating high optical powers from laser diode sources in
weakly guiding step-index multimode fibers. We present simulations of light propagation inside the low-NA multimode
fiber for different launch conditions and fiber bend diameters using a ray-racing tool and demonstrate how these affect
the injection of light into cladding-bounded modes. The mode filling at launch and source NA directly limit the bend
radius at which the fiber can be coiled. Experimentally, we measure the fiber bend loss using our 50 W fiber-coupled
module and establish a critical bend diameter in agreement with our simulation results. We also employ thermal imaging
to investigate fiber heating caused by macro-bends and angled cleaving.
The low mode filling of the 0.15 NA fiber by our brightness-enhanced laser diodes allows it to be coiled with diameters
down to 70 mm at full operating power despite the low NA and further eliminates the need for mode-stripping at fiber
combiners and splices downstream from our pump modules.
Fiber-coupled laser diodes have become essential sources for fiber laser pumping and direct energy applications. Single emitters offer reliable multi-watt output power from a 100 m lateral emission aperture. By their combination and fiber coupling, pump powers up to 100 W can be achieved from a low-NA fiber pigtail. Whilst in the 9xx nm spectral range the single emitter technology is very mature with <10W output per chip, at 800nm the reliable output power from a single emitter is limited to 4 W – 5 W. Consequently, commercially available fiber coupled modules only deliver 5W – 15W at around 800nm, almost an order of magnitude down from the 9xx range pumps. To bridge this gap, we report our advancement in the brightness and reliability of 800nm single emitters. By optimizing the wafer structure, laser cavity and facet passivation process we have demonstrated QCW device operation up to 19W limited by catastrophic optical damage to the 100 μm aperture. In CW operation, the devices reach 14 W output followed by a reversible thermal rollover and a complete device shutdown at high currents, with the performance fully rebounded after cooling. We also report the beam properties of our 800nm single emitters and provide a comparative analysis with the 9xx nm single emitter family. Pump modules integrating several of these emitters with a 105 μm / 0.15 NA delivery fiber reach 35W in CW at 808 nm. We discuss the key opto-mechanical parameters that will enable further brightness scaling of multi-emitter pump modules.
Reliable single emitters delivering >10W in the 9xx nm spectral range, are common building blocks for fiber laser pumps. As facet passivation techniques can suppress or delay catastrophic optical mirror damage (COMD) extending emitter reliability into hundreds of thousands of hours, other, less dominant, failure modes such as intra-chip catastrophic optical bulk damage (COBD) become apparent. Based on our failure statistics in high current operation, only ~52% of all failures can be attributed to COMD. Imaging through a window opened in the metallization on the substrate (n) side of a p-side down mounted emitter provides valuable insight into both COMD and COBD failure mechanisms. We developed a laser ablation process to define a window on the n-side of an InGaAs/AlGaAs 980nm single emitter that is overlaid on the pumped 90μm stripe on the p-side. The ablation process is compatible with the chip wire-bonding, enabling the device to be operated at high currents with high injection uniformity. We analyzed both COMD and COBD failed emitters in the electroluminescence and mid-IR domains supported by FIB/SEM observation. The ablated devices revealed branching dark line patterns, with a line origin either at the facet center (COMD case) or near the stripe edge away from the facet (COBD case). In both cases, the branching direction is always toward the rear facet (against the photon density gradient), with SEM images revealing a disordered active layer structure. Absorption levels between 0.22eV – 0.55eV were observed in disordered regions by FT-IR spectroscopy. Temperature mapping of a single emitter in the MWIR domain was performed using an InSb detector. We also report an electroluminescence study of a single emitter just before and after failure.
Reliable single emitters delivering <10W in the 9xx nm spectral range, are common energy sources for fiber laser pumps. The brightness (radiance) of a single emitter, which connotes the angular concentration of the emitted energy, is just as important a parameter as the output power alone for fiber coupling applications. We report on the development of high-brightness single emitters that demonstrate <12W output with 60% wall-plug efficiency and a lateral emission angle that is compatible with coupling into 0.15 NA delivery fiber. Using a purpose developed active laser model, simulation of far-field patterns in the lateral (slow) axis can be performed for different epitaxial wafer structures. By optimizing both the wafer and chip designs, we have both increased the device efficiency and improved the slow-axis divergence in high-current operation. Device reliability data are presented. The next-generation emitters will be integrated in SCD's NEON fiber pump modules to upgrade the pump output towards higher ex-fiber powers with high efficiency.
KEYWORDS: Reliability, Semiconductor lasers, Fiber lasers, Temperature metrology, Near field optics, Data modeling, Resistance, Failure analysis, Multimode fibers
Fiber lasers require diode laser pumps of ever increasing power and brightness delivered via low-NA multimode fiber.
The preferred fiber pump construction is based on the combination of the outputs of several diode lasers (single
emitters) in single-strand multimode delivery fiber with NA ≤ 0.15. We report on the recent advances in the reliability
and output power of single emitters at several wavelengths from 800 nm to 980 nm, with an emitting aperture optimized
for coupling into 105 μm core fiber. By the use of long laser cavities and low-loss epitaxal design, we have achieved
single emitter powers close to 20 W. Lifetest data from these emitters under high optical load are presented and
analyzed using a reliability model.
Advanced solid state laser architectures place increasingly demanding requirements on high-brightness, low-cost QCW
laser diode pump sources, with custom apertures both for side and end rod pumping configurations. To meet this need, a
new series of scalable QCW pump sources at 808nm and 940nm was developed. The stacks, available in multiple output
formats, allow for custom aperture filling by varying both the length and quantity of stacked laser bars. For these
products, we developed next-generation laser bars based on improved epitaxial wafer designs delivering power densities
of 20W/mm of emission aperture. With >200W of peak QCW power available from a full-length 1cm bar, we have
demonstrated power scaling to over 2kW in 10-bar stacks with 55% wall plug efficiency. We also present the design and
performance of several stack configurations using full-length and reduced-length (mini) bars that demonstrate the
versatility of both the bar and packaging designs. We illustrate how the ROBUST HEAD packaging technology
developed at SCD is capable of accommodating variable bar length, pitch and quantity for custom rod pumping
geometries. The excellent all-around performance of the stacks is supported by reliability data in line with the previously
reported 20 Gshot space-grade qualification of SCD's stacks.
Advanced solid state laser architectures place increasingly demanding requirements on high-brightness, low-cost QCW
laser diode pump sources, with custom apertures both for side and end rod pumping configurations. To meet this need, a
new series of scaleable pump sources at 808nm and 940nm was developed. The stacks, available in multiple output
formats, allow for custom aperture filling by varying both the length and quantity of stacked laser bars. For these
products, we developed next-generation laser bars based on improved epitaxial wafer designs delivering power densities
of 20W/mm of emission aperture. With >200W of peak QCW power available from a full-length 1cm bar, we have
demonstrated power scaling to over 2kW in 10-bar stacks with 55% wall plug efficiency. We also present the design and
performance of several stack configurations using full-length and reduced-length (mini) bars that demonstrate the
versatility of both the bar and packaging designs. We illustrate how the ROBUST HEAD packaging technology
developed at SCD is capable of accommodating variable bar length, pitch and quantity for custom rod pumping
geometries. The excellent all-around performance of the stacks is supported by reliability data in line with the previously
reported 20 Gshot space-grade qualification of SCD's stacks.
System designers and end users of diode pumped solid state lasers often require knowledge of the operability limits of
QCW laser diode pump sources and their predicted reliability performance as a function of operating conditions.
Accelerated ageing at elevated temperatures, duty cycles and/or currents allows extended lifetime testing of diode stacks
to be executed on compressed timescales with high confidence.
We present a novel, time-efficient technique for the determination of accelerated lifetime test conditions using
degradation rate data, rather than the traditionally used failures against time data.
To assess the effect of thermally accelerated ageing, 4 groups of 4 stacks each were operated for 60 million pulses at
different temperature stress levels by varying the pulse repetition rate from 100Hz to 250Hz. The measured power
degradation rates fitted to an Arrhenius type model, result in activation energy of 0.47- 0.74eV, apparently indicating
two thermally activated degradation modes with different activation energies.
Similarly, for current accelerated ageing, another 4 groups of 4 stacks were tested at operation currents from 120A to
150A. The optical power degradation rates due to current stress follow a power law behavior with a current acceleration
factor of 1.7.
The obtained acceleration parameters allowed considerable reduction of the lifetime test duration, which would have
otherwise taken an unacceptably long time under nominal operating conditions.
The successful results of the accelerated lifetime have been a major milestone enabling qualification of SCD stacks as
pump sources for the laser altimeter in ESA Bepi-Colombo space mission.
The presented reliability analysis allows life test qualification programs to be accelerated for generic QCW stacks and
their lifetime to be predicted in various operating environments.
KEYWORDS: Collimation, Semiconductor lasers, Reliability, Optics manufacturing, Laser welding, High power lasers, Manufacturing, Active optics, Temperature metrology, Defense and security
High brightness laser diode arrays are increasingly found in defense applications either as efficient optical pumps or as
direct energy sources. In many instances, duty cycles of 10- 20 % are required, together with precise optical
collimation. System requirements are not always compatible with the use of microchannel based cooling,
notwithstanding their remarkable efficiency. Simpler but effective solutions, which will not involve high fluid pressure
drops as well as deionized water, are needed. The designer is faced with a number of challenges: effective heat
removal, minimization of the built- in and operational stresses as well as precise and accurate fast axis collimation. In
this article, we report on a novel laser diode array which includes an integral tap water cooling system. Robustness is
achieved by all around hard solder bonding of passivated 940nm laser bars. Far field mapping of the beam, after
accurate fast axis collimation will be presented. It will be shown that the design of water cooling channels , proper
selection of package materials, careful design of fatigue sensitive parts and active collimation technique allow for
long life time and reliability, while not compromising the laser diode array efficiency, optical power density
,brightness and compactness. Main performance characteristics are 150W/bar peak optical power, 10% duty cycle and
more than 50% wall plug efficiency with less than 1° fast axis divergence. Lifetime of 0.5 Gshots with less than 10%
power degradation has been proved. Additionally, the devices have successfully survived harsh environmental
conditions such as thermal cycling of the coolant temperature and mechanical shocks.
High-brightness laser diode arrays operating at a duty cycle of 10% - 20% are in ever-increasing demand for the
optical pumping of solid state lasers and directed energy applications. Under high duty-cycle operation at 10% - 20%,
passive (conductive) cooling is of limited use, while micro-coolers using de-ionized cooling water can considerably
degrade device reliability.
When designing and developing actively-cooled collimated laser diode arrays for high duty cycle operation, three
main problems should be carefully addressed: an effective local and total heat removal, a minimization of
packaging-induced and operational stresses, and high-precision fast axis collimation.
In this paper, we present a novel laser diode array incorporating a built-in tap water cooling system, all-hard-solder
bonded assembly, facet-passivated high-power 940 nm laser bars and tight fast axis collimation. By employing an
appropriate layout of water cooling channels, careful choice of packaging materials, proper design of critical parts, and
active optics alignment, we have demonstrated actively-cooled collimated laser diode arrays with extended lifetime
and reliability, without compromising their efficiency, optical power density, brightness or compactness.
Among the key performance benchmarks achieved are: 150 W/bar optical peak power at 10% duty cycle, >50% wallplug
efficiency and <1° collimated fast axis divergence. A lifetime of >0.5 Ghots with <2% degradation has been
experimentally proven. The laser diode arrays have also been successfully tested under harsh environmental
conditions, including thermal cycling between -20°C and 40°C and mechanical shocks at 500g acceleration. The
results of both performance and reliability testing bear out the effectiveness and robustness of the manufacturing
technology for high duty-cycle laser arrays.
KEYWORDS: Single crystal X-ray diffraction, Reliability, Semiconductor lasers, Diodes, Packaging, Manufacturing, Semiconducting wafers, High power lasers, Head, Defense and security
High Power Laser Diode Arrays developed and produced at SCD-SemiConductor Devices support a number of
advanced defence and space programs. High efficiency and unsurpassed reliability at high operating temperatures are
mandatory features for those applications. We report lifetime results of high power bar stacks, operating in QCW mode
that rely on a field-proven design comprising Al-free wafer material technology and hard soldering robust packaging. A
variety of packaging platforms have been implemented and tested at very harsh environmental conditions.
Results include a long operational lifetime study totaling 20 billion pulses monitored in the course of several years for
808 nm QCW bar stacks.. Additionally, we report results of demanding lifetime tests for space qualification performed
on these stacks at different levels of current load in a unique combination with operational temperature cycles in the
range of -10 ÷60 °C.
Novel solutions for highly reliable water cooled devices designed for operation in long pulses at different levels of PRF,
are also discussed. The cooling efficiency of microchannel coolers is preserved while reliability is improved.
Space missions are probably the most demanding environment for laser diodes. A comprehensive study on the reliability
of commercially available laser diodes arrays (LDA), with the objective of bar stacks for ESA's BepiColombo Laser
Altimeter mission to the planet Mercury was performed. We report the best results of lifetime tests performed on SCD
808 nm QCW stacks at different levels of current load in a unique combination with operational temperature cycles in
the range of -10°C to 60 °C. Based on a field-proven design that includes Al-free wafer material and a robust packaging
solution, these arrays exhibit long operational lifetime of up to 20 billion pulses monitored in the course of several years.
Zero failures and stable performance of these QCW arrays were demonstrated in severe environmental conditions
reflecting both, military and space applications. In order to achieve maximum device efficiency at different operational
conditions of the base temperature and current, an optimum combination of the wafer structure and bar design is
required. We demonstrate different types of QCW stacks delivering peak power of up to 1 kW with a usable range of
50-55% wall plug efficiency at base temperatures up to 60 °C.
High power water cooled diode lasers find increasing demand in biomedical, cosmetic and industrial applications, where
very high brightness and power are required. The high brightness is achieved either by increasing the power of each bar or by reducing the emitting area of the stacks. Two new products will be presented: Horizontal CW stacks with output power as high as 1kW using 80 W bars with emitting area width as low as 50 μm; Vertical QCW stacks with output power as high as 1.2kW using 120 W bars. Heat removal from high power laser stacks often requires microchannel coolers operated with finely filtered deionized (DI) water. However, for certain industrial applications the reliability of this cooling method is widely considered insufficient due to leakage failures caused the highly corrosive DI water. Two solutions to the above problem will be discussed. A microchannel cooler-based package, which vastly reduces the corrosion problem, and a novel high-power laser diode stack that completely eliminates it. The latter solution is especially effective for pulsed applications in high duty cycle range.
808 nm, QCW laser bars delivering peak power higher than 150 Watts were developed. The optimization of the tensile
strain in the QW structure, the design configuration of the laser cavity together with an improved packaging technology
lead to more than 55% wall plug efficiency when assembled as stacks. Due to the high characteristic temperature (T0,
T1) values and high efficiency, the output power of these devices is almost insensitive to elevated heat sink
temperatures. In addition, a collimation technique which significantly improves the beam quality of the laser stacks was
developed. The active collimation method is flexible and control over the level of collimation is achievable. The use of
this collimation technique alongside with high quality micro lenses allows for a reduction of the fast axis divergence to
values as low as 3 mrad with minimal power losses. An automatic process control was developed allowing for the
efficient attachment of the collimating micro lenses in a highly reproducible fashion. The combination of the collimation
technique with a reliable mounting and stacking technology supports the serial manufacturing of devices delivering 1
kW peak power in QCW operation. These QCW collimated diode laser stacks demonstrate stable operation and high
reliability in the course of more than 6*108shots at 2% duty cycle. Another important advantage of the collimated
stacks is their capability to withstand severe environmental conditions, maintaining high beam quality and performance.
High power water-cooled diode lasers are finding increasing demand in biomedical, cosmetic and industrial applications, where repetitive cw (continuous wave) and pulsed cw operation modes are required. When operating in such modes, the lasers experience numerous complete thermal cycles between "cold" heat sink temperature and the "hot" temperature typical of thermally equilibrated cw operation. It is clearly demonstrated that the main failure mechanism directly linked to repetitive cw operation is thermo-mechanical fatigue of the solder joints adjacent to the laser bars, especially when "soft" solders are used. Analyses of the bonding interfaces were carried out using scanning electron microscopy. It was observed that intermetallic compounds, formed already during the bonding process, lead to the solders fatigue both on the p- and n-side of the laser bar. Fatigue failure of solder joints in repetitive cw operation reduces useful lifetime of the stacks to hundreds hours, in comparison with more than 10,000 hours lifetime typically demonstrated in commonly adopted non-stop cw reliability testing programs. It is shown, that proper selection of package materials and solders, careful design of fatigue sensitive parts and burn-in screening in the hard pulse operation mode allow considerable increase of lifetime and reliability, without compromising the device efficiency, optical power density and compactness.
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