Cooperative agreement to produce prototype diode-laser array

Cooperative agreement to produce prototype diode-laser array

Spire (Bedford, MA) has entered into a cooperative agreement with the Precision Laser Machining Consortium (Redondo Beach, CA) to produce a prototype multibar diode-laser array capable of emitting 400-W/cm2 peak power with u¥to 30% duty-cycle operation at room temperature and a 15,000-hour minimum operation life. The nine-month program will also involve diode-laser-array bar fabrication and high-duty-cycle laser-array packaging technology. These diode-laser-array modules will ultimately pum¥ multiple-kilowatt industrial solid-state lasers for use in welding, cutting, and material processing. This cost-reduction and reliability-improvement program is part of the Technology Reinvestment Project, administered and partly funded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.