Abstract

Diode-laser arrays are becoming increasingly popular as illumination sources because of their high efficiency, reliability, and ability to produce large amounts of optical power from a small package. In addition, their relatively narrow spectral bandwidth makes them ideal pump sources for solid-state lasers. This paper describes an optical technique to concentrate light from a linear diode-laser array into a small spot with a minimum divergence. Such optics are ideally suited to coupling into multimode optical fibers and longitudinal pumping of solid-state lasers.

© 1992 Optical Society of America