Vancouver, WA. November 4, 2003. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), has awarded nLight Photonics a $5 million research and development contract. The contract will enable nLight to take a dramatic step forward in high power laser diode efficiency.
Diode lasers are a crucial technology used in a wide range of military applications due to their compact size and high efficiency. Today, laser diodes are the most efficient source of laser light with over 50% of their input electrical power converted into output optical power. The vision of the DARPA Super High Efficiency Diode Source (SHEDS) program is to continue the improvement of laser diodes with a goal of converting over 80% of their input electrical power into output optical power. This level of efficiency will enable lasers with up to 100-kW of output power to be deployed on mobile military platforms.
"This program will enable nLight to take a quantum leap forward in high power diode laser performance" said Jason Farmer, Vice President of Advanced Technology at nLight. "Both output power and reliability of high power diode lasers are critically dependent on operating temperature. With current packaging technologies every watt of heat generated corresponds to a particular rise in operating temperature. The key issue for reliable high power laser diodes is therefore optimizing the ratio of optical power generated to heat deposited in the package. Today, roughly this ratio is roughly 1 to 1. The technology to be developed on this program will increase this ratio to 4 to 1."
Headquartered in Vancouver, WA, nLight Photonics is a vertically integrated manufacturer of high-power diode lasers. nLight's state-of-the-art 60,000 square foot manufacturing facility produces lasers used in industrial, defense, and medical applications.
For more information, visit: www/nlightphotonics.com .
Laser Focus World