Laser-excited single-crystal phosphor light module for high-power applications

Abstract

The most widely used light sources for projection system and spotlights are discharge lamps. With tremendous advancements over the last decade in blue laser developments, laser excited phosphor systems have been developed for various applications including projectors and spotlights. One major challenge remains in the very high power applications where multi-kilowatt xenon lamps are still being used. In this paper, an advance material, namely, single crystal phosphor has been developed with high optical efficiency, high power handling capability, and a melting point of 1,950°C. To enable such single crystal phosphor to be used to its full capacity, a major effort was placed on the heat sinking of the crystal phosphor pumped at high power, over 70 W of blue laser power from a 4 by 6 array of laser diodes. The nominal dimension of the crystal phosphor of one of the system measures 2 mm by 2 mm by 4 mm and is end-pumped from one end with a set of focusing lenses directing the output from 24 lasers onto the surface of the crystal phosphor. The 4 sides of the crystal phosphor is specially coated and attached to the heat sink for efficient dissipation of heat, keeping the temperature of the crystal low enough for efficient emission. The output from the crystal phosphor is extracted using a CPC reducing the total internal reflection effect inside the crystal phosphor. To accommodate the high power laser at the input face of the crystal phosphor, various methods are used to prevent the local burning of the input face, including the use of diffusers, light pipes, and light tunnels. The computer simulation and experimental results will be presented.