Government Funded Programs

Title: Low Cost Diode Lasers for Mid-Infrared Optical Countermeasures and Communications
Customer: Army Night Vision Laboratory
Contract: SBIR ARMY A2002-123

Abstract: There exist important military requirements for low cost, high power mid-infrared radiation. Protection of aircraft and armored vehicles from heat-seeking missiles requires strong sources at wavelengths beyond 4 μm. Free space optical communications on the battlefield also benefit from mid-infrared sources; unlike visible and near-infrared wavelengths, communications at mid-infrared wavelengths are relatively immune to fog and solar background impairments. Unfortunately, commercial InGaAsP laser diodes are limited to wavelengths shorter than 2 μm, and technologies such as InGaAsSb and Quantum Cascade lasers have fundamental limitations and are too immature to satisfy military requirements in the near future. We have conceived an entirely new class of diode lasers that efficiently generate beams at mid-infrared wavelengths between 3 and 10 μm. These devices generate internal beams in the near-infrared and convert them to mid-infrared by exploiting the strong nonlinearities of III -V semiconductors. These new designs are capable of generating high power, high brightness CW beams at room temperature and above.

Title: Low-Cost Laser Diodes for Navy Applications
Customer: Naval Air Weapons Center
Contract: SBIR NAVY N2002-142

Abstract: High power solid state lasers using different active media have emerged as critical components in a variety of military systems. These lasers are efficiently and reliably pumped by diode laser arrays, but the very high cost per watt of arrays poses a serious impediment to wide application, particularly where very high total powers are required. There is little prospect that conventional approaches to laser design can result in cost reduction of the required magnitude. We propose to fabricate arrays based on an entirely new design. The resulting arrays will be much cheaper to manufacture, test and assemble than conventional arrays. Our new approach offers, we believe, the only realistic pathway to prices in the single $/watt range. The radical reduction in cost of pump power will enable applications that are now economically impractical. Diode pumped solid state lasers for directed energy weapons and other military applications are currently impractical because of high pump cost. For similar reasons, the use of diode pumped lasers in important applications such as projection displays and machining has been limited. By dramatically changing the cost structure of pumps, these applications will be made economically practical.

Title: Ultra Compact, Low Cost High Power Lasers for LADAR
Customer: Missile Defense Agency
Contract: SBIR MDA MDA2002-002

Abstract: We are developing very high power pulsed laser diode sources for use in LADAR. These laser diode based sources promise peak powers two orders of magnitude greater than conventional laser diodes, but without compromising compactness, economy and reliability. These source lasers will be very attractive for use in kinetic kill applications. These high power laser sources will offer compelling advantages over conventional technology for free space communications and for LIDAR.

Title: Spectrally Tailored High Efficiency Long Wave Pumps for Eye-Safe Solid-State Lasers
Customer: Army Research Laboratory
Contract: W911QX-05-C-0084

Abstract: Diode arrays in the 1500 nm band are important pump sources for very low photon-energy-deficit pumping of eye-safe lasers. The power output, power efficiency and pump absorption of commercially offered arrays in this band are not as high as 800-1000 nm diodes. By using innovative laser array designs, we are developing diodes with output powers and conversion/absorption efficiencies as high as short-wave pump arrays.