News: Optoelectronics
22 June 2023
Coherent launches record 65W pump laser diode
Materials, networking and laser technology firm Coherent Corp of Saxonburg, PA, USA (formerly II-VI Inc before it acquired Coherent in July 2022) has introduced its next-generation pump laser diode, with 65W output power for fiber lasers in industrial and consumer applications.
Handheld fiber laser welding is increasingly replacing arc welding as the technology of choice, driving strong demand for components that enable cost-efficient designs. The new laser diode reliably achieves a record 65W output power, 30% more than that of the existing products, yet with lower operating current. These unique features, combined with the diode’s compatibility with existing submounts, enable a wide range of extremely low-cost fiber laser design architectures.
“This is the first commercially available pump laser diode in the industry to achieve 65W of output power, surpassing our previous-record 50W diode that we introduced at Photonics West in January,” believes Dr Karlheinz Gulden, senior VP, Laser Components and Subsystems business unit. “While the conventional wisdom is that, at these power levels, more expensive ceramic submounts are required, this is not the case with our laser design because we were able to lower the operating current even as we increased the output power,” he adds. “This, in addition to the record-breaking output power, is what makes it such a unique and compelling product.”
The 65W laser diodes are based on a vertically integrated 6-inch gallium arsenide (GaAs) technology platform with decades of field-proven reliability. They are available at 915nm and 975nm wavelengths as bare dies or chips on ceramic submounts to meet customer requirements. The chips include Coherent’s proprietary E2 front-mirror passivation that prevents catastrophic damage to the laser, even at extremely high output powers. The 65W laser diodes will be available in fall 2023.
Coherent is exhibiting in stand B3.321 at Laser World of Photonics 2023 in Munich, Germany (27-30 June); in stand 4101 at Laser Korea 2023 in Seoul (5-7 July); and in stand 8.1D240 at Laser World of Photonics China in Shanghai (11-13 July), where it is showcasing the most recent additions to its portfolio of differentiated solutions for materials processing.
Coherent launches first commercially available 50W pump laser diodes for fiber lasers
