Princeton Optronics (Trenton, NJ), which develops some very interesting high-power vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), as well as low-noise solid-state lasers, has received a $750K two-year-duration Navy Phase II SBIR contract for developing blue-laser arrays that consist of frequency doubled high-power VCSEL arrays.
The objective of the program is to develop high-energy pulsed blue lasers with energies of greater than10 mJ per pulse for Navy light detection and ranging (LIDAR) applications. The phase II contract follows a successful completion of a phase I SBIR contract received last year.
Blue-emitting VCSEL arrays
Princeton Optronics has taken its near-IR-emitting VCSEL technology and frequency-doubled the radiation, including a nonlinear material (periodically poled lithium niobate) in the device's structure. The laser's output is single-mode, blue (480 nm), monochromatic, and has a half-angle divergence of only 8 mrad.
The lasers are constructed in 2-D arrays that presently can emit up to 230 W of optical power from a 4.7-mm-diameter area. Single lasers emit up to 30 mW with an 8% wall-plug efficiency.
For details on the blue-VCSEL technology and Princeton Optronics, see http://www.princetonoptronics.com.
