Abstract

Progress of advanced high power laser is now opening new applications in science and industry. The technical breakthrough has been achieved with the progress of semiconductor diode laser. The progress of power LD (Laser Diode) to higher power, higher efficiency, longer life, and better controllability with cost reduction and robustness in handling has enables the LD to be practical devices in laser energetics. The typical modes of operation of LD based lasers are LD direct use, diode pumped solid state laser (DPSSL) with CW output and pulse output of high rep. rate (~kHz) or low rep. rate (~10Hz). Among the many kinds of applications, typical examples of interest are described which are proceeded in the major laboratories or as national projects in Japan.

© 2001 IEEE