Conference paper
All-fiber 7x1 signal combiner for incoherent laser beam combining
We demonstrate an all-fiber 7x1 signal combiner for incoherent laser beam combining. This is a potential key component for reaching several kW of stabile laser output power. The combiner couples the output from 7 single-mode (SM) fiber lasers into a single multi-mode (MM) fiber. The input signal fibers have a core diameter of 17 μm and the output MM fiber has a core diameter of 100 μm.
In a tapered section light gradually leaks out of the SM fibers and is captured by a surrounding fluorine-doped cladding. The combiner is tested up to 2.5 kW of combined output power and only a minor increase in device temperature is observed. At an intermediate power level of 600 W a beam parameter product (BPP) of 2.22 mm x mrad is measured, corresponding to an M2 value of 6.5.
These values are approaching the theoretical limit dictated by brightness conservation.
Language: | English |
---|---|
Publisher: | SPIE |
Year: | 2011 |
Pages: | 79142L-7 |
Proceedings: | Fiber Lasers 8 |
ISSN: | 1996756x and 0277786x |
Types: | Conference paper |
DOI: | 10.1117/12.875078 |
ORCIDs: | Lægsgaard, Jesper |