Abstract

The progress of laser diode array research presents tremendous potential for high-power coherent lasers. Output powers of 38-W cw and wall plug efficiencies of greater than 50% could combine to produce very high-average-power laser systems. Currently one of the remaining technologies needed to be developed is the stable locking of the individual array elements into a coherent source resulting in a single lobed far-field pattern with a high Strehl ratio.

© 1988 Optical Society of America