Lasers & Sources

Northrop Grumman wavelength-stabilized laser diode arrays produce 0.5 nm spectral width

Sept. 13, 2011

A new process has been developed for building high-power laser diode arrays with narrow emission spectra by adding volume Bragg gratings during the packaging process.

A new process has been developed for building high-power laser diode arrays with narrow emission spectra by adding volume Bragg gratings during the packaging process. These arrays produce a spectral width of approximately 0.5 nm (FWHM), and are available with output powers ranging from watts to kilowatts.
Northrop Grumman – Cutting Edge Optronics
St. Charles, MO
www.as.northropgrumman.com/ceolaser

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PRESS RELEASE

kW-Class, Wavelength Stabilized Laser Diode Arrays
Northrop Grumman - Cutting Edge Optronics

Northrop Grumman Cutting Edge Optronics has developed a process for building high-power laser diode arrays with narrow emission spectra by adding Volume Bragg Gratings during the packaging process. These arrays produce a spectral width of approximately 0.5 nm (FWHM), and are available with output powers ranging from Watts to kilowatts.

Potential Uses
There are many instances of laser media that could benefit from a diode laser pump source with a narrow wavelength spectrum. One prominent example is shown in Figure 1, which shows the absorption spectrum of Nd:YAG over the wavelength range of 780-900nm. Perhaps the most common pump wavelength for Nd:YAG lasers is nominally 808nm. There is also a neighboring peak at approximately 805nm that creates an effective absorption width of 5.5nm and is ideally-suited for pumping by standard laser diode arrays. However, there are technical advantages associated with pumping at higher wavelengths. Most notably, the lower quantum defect associated with pumping at higher wavelengths results in a weaker thermal lens and lower depolarization losses. As a result, pumping Nd:YAG at 869 or 885nm is an attractive alternative in many laser designs. However, the absorption peaks at these wavelengths are significantly narrower (~ 1nm and ~ 3nm respectively), and subsequently benefit from pump diodes with narrow emission spectra. Similar features are observed in other Nd-doped laser crystals, such as Nd:YLF and Nd:YVO₄.