Patent ID: 7881355
Filing Date: 2011-02-01
Classification: G02B,H01S

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for generating laser light, comprising: a stack of one-dimensional laser diode array bars forming a two-dimensional laser array having laser diodes arranged in rows and columns, where laser diodes in each of the one-dimensional laser diode array bars comprise the laser diodes in one of the rows of the two-dimensional laser array and laser diodes aligned across the stacked one-dimensional laser diode array bars comprise the laser diodes in one of the columns of the two-dimensional laser array, each laser diode having a fast axis oriented in a column direction and a slow axis oriented in a row direction; an optical assembly for collimating laser light from the stack in both the fast and slow axes and focusing the laser light from each of two or more groups of columns from the two dimensional laser array into a corresponding one of two or more optical fibers without rotating the fast and slow axes, where there is a one-to-one correspondence between the number of groups of columns and the number of fibers such that each fiber receives the focused laser light from only one of the groups of columns; and means for compensating for spherical aberration in the focused laser light from each group of columns in order to match the focused laser light to a diameter and numerical aperture of the corresponding optical fiber, wherein the means includes an arrangement of the stack of one-dimensional laser diode array bars that aligns individual emitters along a surface of a cylinder of radius R such that an axis of propagation from each of the emitters is directed to the center axis of the cylinder.