Patent ID: 8427749
Filing Date: 2013-04-23
Classification: H01S

Abstract:
1. A beam combining light source, comprising: a first row of light emitters for emitting a plurality of first emitter beams along a plurality of optical paths, each of the first emitter beams having a fast axis and a slow axis; a first row of beam collimating reflectors for collimating each of the first emitter beams in a plane of the slow axis thereof, and for re-directing the first emitter beams to mutually align the fast axes thereof for forming a first combined beam; a second row of light emitters for emitting a plurality of second emitter beams along a plurality of optical paths, each of the second emitter beams having a fast axis and a slow axis; a second row of beam collimating reflectors spaced apart from the second row of light emitters for collimating each of the second emitter beams in a slow axis plane, and for re-directing the second emitter beams to mutually align the fast axes thereof for forming a second combined beam, wherein the fast axes of the first and second emitter beams in the first and second combined beams are parallel to each other; a polarization converter disposed in an optical path of one of the first and second combined beams for converting a polarization state thereof into a polarization state orthogonal to a polarization state of the other of the first and second combined beams; a polarization beam combiner disposed for combining the first and second combined beams of light into a polarization combined beam of light; wherein light emitters of the first and second rows are disposed in a staggered arrangement with a lateral offset therebetween, and wherein: