Top hat beam shaping for a high power laser diode bar with a wavelength of 780 – 1100 nm

Abstract

Broad area high power laser diodes emit in fast axis and slow axis direction very different beam profiles. In fast axis direction a nearly diffraction limited Gaussian beam, but in the slow axis direction a multi-mode beam profile. We present a top hat solution for individual fast axis and slow axis beam shaping using micro optical components for a standard high power laser diode bar with a wavelength of 810 nm. The compact design allows the individual beam shaping in a very small space. The quality of the beam shaping depends mainly on the precision of the micro optics and the advanced assembly process. These solutions enable the development of laser diode modules with individual and application specific beam shapes and small dimensions.