IPG Photonics Corporation (Oxford, MA) is now producing a 100 W fiber-coupled laser diode. The company calls it "the most powerful high-brightness single-emitter-based laser diode."
"This new laser diode delivers up to 100 W power out of a 105 micron core-diameter fiber with a numerical aperture lower than 0.12," said Alex Ovtchinnikov, IPG Photonics Corporation's vice president--components. "It is assembled using IPG's long-life 90 micron wide single-emitter chips and proprietary micro-optics. The wall-plug efficiency exceeds 50% due to nonsaturated mode of operation at a thermally-conductive passive cooling. The package size is an order of magnitude smaller than similar devices on the market. Also taking in account the lowest cost per watt, the new PLD-100 series is well ahead in performance of any existing fiber-coupled laser diodes available in the market."
The available choice of wavelength covers the complete 9xx nm spectral range. The product will be released for sale starting in Q4 2009.
Combining emission of these laser diodes, it is now possible to manufacture high-power diode laser modules or complete systems with output powers up to multiple kilowatts out of a reasonably thin fiber with a narrow-linewidth emission. Such a device provides new opportunities for plastic and metal welding, brazing, cladding, medical and many other applications, says IPG, and simplifies the pumping schemes of superpower fiber and disc lasers.
John Wallace | Senior Technical Editor (1998-2022)
John Wallace was with Laser Focus World for nearly 25 years, retiring in late June 2022. He obtained a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and physics at Rutgers University and a master's in optical engineering at the University of Rochester. Before becoming an editor, John worked as an engineer at RCA, Exxon, Eastman Kodak, and GCA Corporation.