ALFALIGHT RECEIVES $1.36 MILLION ARMY CONTRACT TO DEVELOP ADVANCED 1 KW LASER DIODE PUMP SOURCE
Advanced Technology Ventures
ARMY RESEARCH LABORATORY AWARD EXTENDS SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS TO ENABLE PUMPS FOR BRIGHTER, MORE COST-EFFECTIVE AND RELIABLE HIGH-POWER SOLID STATE LASERS
Alfalight, Inc., a leading manufacturer ofhighly efficient high-power diode lasers, announced today that it hasreceived a $1.36 million contract from the Army Research Laboratory (ARL)in Adelphi, MD. This 12-month program, entitled “High Brightness DiodeSources II” (HiBriDS II), will enable Alfalight to extend the success ofprevious programs to create solid state laser diode pump sources withhigher brightness and reliability than current technology can provide. Theobjective of the program is to demonstrate 1 kW of 975 nm narrowband,wavelength-locked diode laser light coupled into a 600 µm, 0.22 NA fiber.
“Alfalight’s past performance in DARPA’s ADHELS (Architecture for DiodeHigh Energy Laser Systems) and ARL’s HiBriDS programs has allowed us topush both the spatial and the spectral brightness of pump diodes byimplementing brightness enhancement and wavelength-stabilizationtechnologies,” said Manoj Kanskar, vice president of Research andDevelopment at Alfalight. “The extended scope of HiBriDS II will allow usto make a significant improvement to the brightness and power ofcost-effective kilowatt-class pump modules.”
The new design will require less-demanding manufacturing tolerances andfewer optical components to scale power, allowing resultant products to bemore cost-effective and robust compared to fiber-coupled bars. Productsresulting from the HiBriDS II program will also combine Alfalight’sintegrated wavelength stabilization technology, high power-conversionefficiency, and proven packaging expertise to enable products requiringonly industrial water cooling, rather than micro-channel cooling.Applications will include defense systems, commercial fiber laser pumping,and solid-state laser pumping as well as direct-diode materials processing.
About Alfalight
Alfalight, Inc., based in Madison, Wisconsin, is a leading developer andmanufacturer of highly efficienthigh-power diode lasers for industrial, defense, and telecommunicationsmarkets. The company’s advancedAluminum-Free Active region (ALFA) diode lasers and WavelengthStabilization Technology (WST) enable industry-leading efficiency,reliability, power and brightness. Alfalight’s exclusive technologyportfolio includes patents applicable to high-power narrow-spectrum lasers,single-mode lasers, and short-wavelength lasers. Alfalight’s currenthigh-power diode laser product line features chips on carrier,fiber-coupled single emitters and combined power modules. For moreinformation, visit www.alfalight.com.
The name Alfalight and the Alfalight logo are both registered trademarks of Alfalight, Inc.