Phase-controlled, fractal laser system

Details Phase-controlled, fractal laser system Phase-controlled, fractal laser system

1994-09-21

1996-04-30

Scott, Jr., Leon

Coherent light generators

Particular beam control device

Mode locking

372 19, 372 31, 372 32, H01S 3098

Patent

active

055131956

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a semiconductor laser system with a plurality of semiconductor laser units comprising a laser oscillator, laser radiation exiting from each of these units, a light-conducting fiber associated with each semiconductor laser unit, a coupling element for coupling the laser radiation exiting from the respective semiconductor laser unit into the respective laser light-conducting fiber, and a fiber bundle comprising the fibers as light conductor system, a total laser radiation formed by the sum of the laser radiations generated by the respective semiconductor laser units exiting from one end of this fiber bundle, the total laser radiation illuminating a target surface on an object to be irradiated during laser activity of all the semiconductor laser units.
Semiconductor laser systems of this type are known. For example, seven semiconductor laser systems are directed onto one target surface. The disadvantage is that the total laser radiation merely represents the sum of the individual laser radiations and therefore no complex irradiation tasks are possible.
The object underlying the invention is therefore to improve a semiconductor laser system of the generic type such that complex irradiation tasks can be carried out and, in particular, a total laser radiation is available which is comparable or superior with respect to its radiation strength and properties to the laser radiation used so far, for example in high-power lasers.
This object is solved in accordance with the invention, in a semiconductor laser system of the type described at the outset in that the semiconductor laser units are designed such that they operate in a phase-defined mode operation, that the laser radiation of each semiconductor laser unit is coupled into the respective laser light-conducting fiber with low loss, that each fiber is a single-mode fiber and that in the total laser radiation the laser radiations of several, preferably all of the semiconductor laser units are independently controllable in their phase.
The inventive solution provides the possibility of carrying out a phase adaptation in the laser radiations adding up to the total laser radiation in a fractal laser system and, therefore, of superposing the laser radiations to form the total laser radiation such that the superposition takes place at a predeterminable phase orientation.
This means that synergistic effects can be generated between the laser radiations in the total laser radiation during the summation of the laser radiations and therefore complex irradiation tasks, for example by utilizing interference phenomena between the individual laser radiations, can be accomplished.
It is particularly advantageous for the laser radiation exiting from each semiconductor laser unit to have a laser radiation field independent of the laser radiation of the other semiconductor laser unit with respect to the phase. Due to such a complete independence of the phase of the laser radiation fields of the individual semiconductor units, it is possible in a particularly advantageous manner to control the phase orientations of the individual laser radiation fields in an inventive manner.
It is even more advantageous for the laser radiation exiting from each semiconductor laser unit to be decoupled from the laser radiation of the other semiconductor laser units with respect to the radiation field.
This can be achieved particularly advantageously when the laser radiation of a semiconductor laser unit coupled each time into the light-conducting fiber is decoupled from the laser radiation of the other semiconductor laser units with respect to its radiation field.
This can, for example, be realized in that each of the semiconductor laser units has its own laser oscillator decoupled from the other semiconductor laser units with respect to the radiation field.
Such a decoupling of the radiation fields of the laser oscillators can be realized from a constructional point of view in the simplest way by the laser oscillators of the semiconductor laser units being laser oscillat

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