Coherent beam combining of a nine-fiber laser array using an all-optical ring cavity feedback loop based on diffractive optical element

Abstract

Our study describes the development of coherent beam combining of an array of nine fiber lasers using an all-optical ring cavity feedback loop based on a diffractive optical element to achieve a single-aperture output. Nine 300-mW Yb-doped fiber amplifier beams arranged in a 1 × 9 end-cap array were combined to achieve a single-aperture beam with a power of 739 mW and a beam quality (M2) of 1.18 with 21.5% combining efficiency. The optical spectra, far-field distributions, and time-domain characteristics of the combined beams were investigated under open- and closed-loop conditions. Under open-loop conditions, the far-field coherent visibility changed constantly from 72.1% to 90.9% and the fluctuation intensity was strong. Under closed-loop conditions, the system achieved a steady state with a visibility of 98.6% and an average feedback intensity of 0.4 V, indicating the occurrence of phase locking. Furthermore, mode hopping was observed when there were more than four channels in a combination. However, the system interference pattern remained stable. Comprehensive research on the relevant literature indicated that novel filled-aperture CBC was achieved using an all-optical ring cavity feedback loop based on a DOE.