Patent ID: 7286308

Claim:
An optical prism structure for reformatting an output from a laser diode bar, which produces a linear array of output beams, wherein the reformatting of the output effects an interchange of lateral and transverse beam properties, the prism structure comprising: an array of optical roof prisms, each of the prisms in the array having two opposed triangular faces, a hypotenuse face and two angled faces adjoining the hypotenuse face and adjoining each other at a prism roof angle of approximately 90°; wherein the prisms in the array are positioned with their hypotenuse faces in a common plane, with their triangular faces parallel with each other, and with each prism offset from each adjacent prism by a selected offset distance, measured in a first axis parallel with the hypotenuse faces and the triangular faces; wherein each prism is also offset from each adjacent prism by the same selected offset distance, measured in a second axis normal to the triangular faces and perpendicular to the first axis, whereby the array is oriented at 45° to the first and second axes; wherein the array is positioned to receive light from a linear array of beams directed along a third axis normal to the hypotenuse faces and perpendicular to the first and second axes, whereby each beam is reflected from one of the prisms and, because of the orientation of the prisms, emerges with its cross-sectional shape rotated by 90°; and wherein the prisms are positioned with the triangular faces of adjacent prisms in overlapping contact, and the offset of each prism measured in the second axis is equal to the thickness of each prism measured between its triangular faces.