Patent ID: 8829393

Claim:
A laser radiation source emitting radiation in a processing beam of sufficient intensity to thermally process a substrate, comprising: a combiner; a first laser light source comprising a plurality of first laser diode modules disposed on a first side of the combiner, arranged along a first direction and having respective first emission faces emitting perpendicular thereto a plurality of first laser light beams on respective paths initially extending to the combiner parallel to a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and a second laser light source comprising a plurality of second laser diode modules disposed on a second side of the combiner, arranged along a direction parallel to the first direction, and having respective second emission faces opposed to the first emission faces across the combiner and emitting perpendicular to the second emission faces a plurality of second laser light beams on respective paths initially extending to the combiner anti-parallel to the second direction, wherein the first laser diode modules are staggered with respect to the second laser diode modules such that the first laser light beams are interdigitated between the second laser light beams; and wherein the combiner receives the first and second laser light beams and combines them into the processing beam and directs them to be parallel to a third direction perpendicular to the first and second directions as an elongate processing beam containing the first and second laser light beams.