SBIR-STTR Award

The use of medium-power industrial lasers (100-1000 watts average power) has become accepted over the past few years. While laser processing is dominated by 10-micron CO2 gas lasers and 1.06 and 0.67 micron solid-state lasers, there is growing interest in the use of high-efficiency lasers for processing certain organic-based materials for wavelength-specific photochemistry (in the 4-6 and 2-3 micron regions of the optical spectrum) and for testing of electro-optical components. Recent advanced fiber optic technology (chalcinides) promise long-distance low-loss beam transport at these wavelengths, making complete laser workstations small practical and economic possibility. We propose to assess the feasibility of a unique and innovative combination: foreign technology neglected by US industry (SUBSONIC Carbon Monoxide lasers), newly developed non-linear optics technologies (harmonic overtone generation, phase conjugation, line selection) and fiber-optic beam-delivery systems (chalcinide fibers) to produce a unique laser tool (100-1000 watts) for industry, commercial, and Government R&D laboratories. The proposed closed-cycle cooled subsonic Carbon Monoxide laser would provide line-selected operation not only at 4-to-6 microns, but also aat 2-to-3 microns (using design-specific overtone and line selection tteniques) with a near-diffraction-limited output beam (using phase conjugation techniques) and with both rep-pulse and CW waveforms (using EO techniques.)

The use of medium-power industrial lasers (100-10000 watts average power) has become accepted over the past few years while laser processing is dominated by 10-micron CO2 gas lasers and 1.06 and 0.67 micron solid-state lasers, there is growing interest in the use of high-efficiency lasers for processing certain organic-based materials, for wavelength-specific photochemistry (in the 4-6 and 2-3 micron regions of the optical spectrum) and for testing of electro-optical components. Recent advanced fiber optic technology (chalcinides and hollow fibers) promise long-distance low-loss beam transport at these wavelengths, making complete laser workstations small, practical and an economic possibility.We propose to demonstrate the feasibility of a unique and innovative combination: a potential high-power long technology neglected by US industry (SEALED-OFF Carbon monoxide laserss), newly-developed dielectric coating technologies for overtone generation and line selection, and fiber-optic beam-delivery systems (hollow fibers) to produce a unique laser tool (1000-10000 watts) for industry, commercial, and Government R&D laboratories. The proposed sealed-off cooled no-flow Carbon monoxide laser will provide operation not only at 4-to-6 microns, but also at 2-to-3 microns (using design-specific overtone and line selection techniques) with a near-diffraction-limited output beam, and with both rep-pulse and CW waveforms (using EO techniques).

Keywords:
CARBON MONOXIDE LASERS GAS LASERS HARMONIC OVERTONE WAVEGUIDE ARRAYS WAVEGUIDE LASERS SEALED-OFF LAS