LASER BEAM COUPLER, SHAPER AND COLLIMATOR DEVICE

摘要

An apparatus for providing improved high power laser beams. An elongated reflector (20) with a highly-reflective surface (26) is utilized with a laser beam emitter (22), such as a broad area diode laser, a diode laser bar, or a diode laser array. The laser beams (28) reflect off of the highly-reflective surface (26) which is curved substantially parabolically. The reflected beams (28) are collimated or otherwise shaped and/or coupled by manipulation of the size and shape of the elongated reflector (20) and the placement of the laser beam emitter (22) in association therewith. A system of lenses or mirrors may be used in conjunction with the reflecting apparatus to achieve enhanced beam quality. One-dimensional and two-dimensional laser arrays can also be fabricated utilizing a substrate containing laser beam emitters (22) in communication with one or more grooves (52) formed in the substrate (51), with parabolic reflecting surfaces formed in the grooves (52) or with optical reflector members (62) placed in the grooves (52).