Laser diode research contract signed

The Pulsar programme aims to improve both the reliability and efficiency of laser diode stacks at the 808nm wavelength.

Intense has signed an R and D contract with the European Space Agency.

The pump laser stacks with aerospace reliability (Pulsar) contract is for the development of reliable, high-power, high-efficiency laser diode arrays for solid-state laser pumping applications in space.

The focus of the programme is to improve both the reliability and efficiency of laser diode stacks at the 808nm wavelength.

The arrays will target a power of 1.2kW under pulsed operation with an electro-optical conversion efficiency of 65%, a value unachievable with existing technology.

The increased efficiency of the new laser diode arrays will enable considerable power savings aboard space vehicles and will reduce heat removal requirements because a smaller fraction of the input energy will be converted into heat.

The pumping efficiency of solid-state lasers can be increased further if the array's emission spectrum is narrowed and stabilised using volume Bragg gratings.

Their integration with the laser diode arrays will be assessed in co-operation with a US manufacturer.

The high-efficiency laser arrays will be manufactured to a demanding lifetime specification of 12 billion shots in a space environment.

Intense's Quantum Well Intermixing (QWI) technology, which allows passive waveguides to be created near the laser diode's mirrors, will ensure the device is more robust against radiation damage.

"QWI technology is particularly suited to space-borne applications as it produces laser diodes with increased radiation hardness", stated Professor John Marsh, PhD, CTO of Intense .

"We are optimistic we can achieve these ambitious targets based on the success of the Darpa-funded Sheds initiative in the US, where laser efficiency was improved by over 20% at longer wavelengths".

"Once developed, the Pulsar opportunity will enable further advances in Intense's capabilities at 808nm, benefiting the entire Hermes high-power laser products family".

"The European Space Research and Technology Centre (Estec), a division of the European Space Agency, is anxious to improve the efficiency and reliability of laser array pumps in future satellite missions", stated Dr Michael Jost, Estec's Technical Officer in charge of the current contract.

"There is a steady increase in the number of payloads incorporating powerful laser sources for applications such as atmospheric sensing, altimetry or optical communication - to name just a few".

"Enhancing the reliability and efficiency of pump laser diodes will enable a reduction in the implementation of redundancy and allow for an extended operational lifetime of the payload".

The Pulsar programme will run for 2.5 years with research results to be published in leading industry journals and at technical conferences.

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