Project will develop high-brightness infrared laser diodes

Regensburg, Germany--A project coordinated by OSRAM Opto Semiconductors and including DILAS Diode Laser (Mainz, Germany) and the Max Born Institute (Berlin, Germany ) seeks to improve performance of integrated microoptical and microthermal elements for diode lasers of high brilliance (IMOTHEB).

Conard Holton

Feb. 25, 2013

2 min read

Regensburg, Germany--A project coordinated by OSRAM Opto Semiconductors and including DILAS Diode Laser (Mainz, Germany) and the Max Born Institute (Berlin, Germany ) seeks to improve performance of integrated microoptical and microthermal elements for diode lasers of high brilliance (IMOTHEB). The project, which runs from October 2012 through September 2015, is supported by the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF).

The goal of the IMOTHEB project is to investigate new approaches and technologies that may ultimately lead to significant reductions in the costs for the pump modules, which include not only the semiconductor lasers but also cooling elements, optics, and sensors. There are also plans to increase the output of the semiconductor lasers by 40 percent while retaining the same high beam quality. IMOTHEB maps the entire value added chain from the semiconductor chip to the complete laser system.

Simulations are being subcontracted to the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering. DILAS is responsible for the assembly technology with improved thermal resistance and higher integration in laser modules, and for automation in module production. The Max Born Institute is acting as a scientific partner, analyzing and characterizing the chips and modules.

"If these high outputs are achieved they will make laser chips ideal for fiber laser pump modules and for fiber-coupled diode lasers," says Alexander Bachmann, project leader at Osram. “We need results that bring not only technical but also economic benefits to strengthen our competitive position. Based on results from the project, our brilliant laser diodes should provide more output into the fibers so that fewer chips are needed in the system and the laser systems therefore become more efficient and more cost-effective.”

About the Author

Conard Holton

Conard Holton has 25 years of science and technology editing and writing experience. He was formerly a staff member and consultant for government agencies such as the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the International Atomic Energy Agency, and engineering companies such as Bechtel. He joined Laser Focus World in 1997 as senior editor, becoming editor in chief of WDM Solutions, which he founded in 1999. In 2003 he joined Vision Systems Design as editor in chief, while continuing as contributing editor at Laser Focus World. Conard became editor in chief of Laser Focus World in August 2011, a role in which he served through August 2018. He then served as Editor at Large for Laser Focus World and Co-Chair of the Lasers & Photonics Marketplace Seminar from August 2018 through January 2022. He received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, with additional studies at the Colorado School of Mines and Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.