SBIR-STTR Award

High power laser systems are limited in their ability to scale up laser power, increase compactness, maintain stability, and lengthen product lifetime due to the need to manage heat-loading. In particular, current laser diode packaging technology severely constrains improvements its size, weight, performance and robustness of laser systems. Eotron has developed a novel laser diode packaging technology using a silicon material and MEMS process to deliver three times better laser diode cooling efficiency when compared against copper micro-channel laser diode technology. Eotron's technology increases the wall plug efficiency of the laser system significantly and also reduces the diode bar ‘smile’ problem associated with high power laser diode systems. Using a precision registration and stress-free mounting technology for laser diode packaging, the fiber coupling efficiency of laser diode stack is improved. The improvement of fiber coupling efficiency can reduce the laser system's size and weight and increase the overall compactness.

Benefit:
The introduction of high fiber-coupling efficiency of the new silicon laser diode packaging technology will bring a disruptive change in the photonics industry's manufacturing processes. The new silicon laser diode packaging will bring high quality and high performance to fiber coupled laser diode products using the well-established semiconductor manufacturing process to lower the cost of high power laser systems in the welding, cutting, soldering, brazing, hardening, and military markets.

Keywords:
Laser Diode, Laser Diode Stack, Diode Pumping, Fiber Coupled, Mems Package, Cooling Package, High Power Laser Diode, Silicon Cooling

Packaging is an increasingly important area for technology advancement in order to obtain lightweight, small volume footprints for airborne and other mobile applications. Most attempts at constructing HELs (High Energy Lasers) based on semiconductor pumped fiber lasers have involved combining many smaller high brightness laser diode pumps and integrating them into a single or multiple fiber amplifier chain. These attempts have resulted in the creation of fiber amplifiers of about the 1kW level that take an entire 19” Rack Cabinet. Clearly fiber amplifiers that have higher power in much more compact packaging are needed. In order to accomplish this, laser diode stacks that are highly improved in reliability, performance and cost are needed as well. Eotron has developed a new laser diode technology that overcomes the challenges associated with high brightness, and simultaneously lowers the manufacturing cost of all components. Eotron has identified specific process steps in the fabrication of silicon components where improvements in process parameters, equipment and/or materials can make a significant impact in reliability, manufacturability and yield over the current method. Additionally, these improvements lower the risk associated with building larger diode bar stacks, significantly advancing technology deployment.

Benefit:
TMany government projects can also benefit from the development and deployment of SMC technology. From the energy sector to the defense industry, SMC technology will deliver high brightness, compactness, reliability, and lower cost to many coherent and incoherent-beam-combining (ICBC) projects that use a high power laser. Eotron has identified specific process steps in the fabrication of silicon components where improvements in process parameters, equipment and/or materials can make a significant impact in reliability, manufacturability and yield over the current method. Additionally, these improvements lower the risk associated with building larger diode bar stacks, significantly advancing technology deployment.

Keywords:
Diode Laser, Fiber Coupled, Micro Channel Cooling, Passive Lens Alignment, Diode Bar Stack, Smile Effect, High Power Laser, Active Cooling Laser