Patent ID: 7283702

Claim:
Apparatus providing increased encircled far field energy in a high power laser, comprising: an array of optical fibers, each of which emits electromagnetic radiation with a characteristic cross-sectional energy distribution; and first and second arrays of optical elements aligned to receive radiation from the array of fibers, wherein each optical element in the first array is an aspheric element designed to produce a uniform cross-sectional energy distribution without regard to perfect beam collimation, and wherein each optical element in the second array is an aspheric element designed to collimate radiation transmitted by the corresponding optical element in the first array; and wherein the combined first and second arrays of optical elements produce an array output of beamlets that form a composite output beam with a generally uniform cross-sectional energy distribution that results in an increased far field encircled energy; the apparatus further comprising: first and second array-wide optical elements disposed in the composite output beam to effect an inverse transformation of the composite output beam from a generally uniform energy distribution to a more desirable energy distribution that further increases the far field encircled energy.