Page 184 - High Power Laser Handbook

152 Diode Lasers High-Power Diode Laser Arrays 153

Figure 6.20 3-kW lamp-pump solid-state laser compared (back) with a 3-kW
TruDiode system (front). The 100-W base module is shown in the inset.

6.7 Direct High-Power Diode Array Applications
High-power diode lasers were developed primarily for the pumping
applications of solid-state lasers to replace less-efficient arc lamps.
The narrow spectrum of diode lasers, as well as their high electro-
optical conversion efficiency, enabled a significant improvement of
solid-state laser technology. Without diode laser pumping, the cur-
rent beam quality of solid-state lasers, as well as the technology of
fiber lasers, would not be achievable. Table 6.3 summarizes the main
applications of high-power diode lasers and includes direct applica-
tions in medical and industrial areas.

6.7.1 Industrial Applications
Pumping of multikilowatt solid-state lasers for industrial applications
like welding, cutting, and so on is still the most important and grow-
ing market for high-power diode lasers. Early approaches of side
pumping of Nd:YAG laser rods did not succeed, because the beam
quality of the competing CO lasers could not be reached, and the overall
2
efficiency was typically below 20 percent. However, the development
of high-brightness diode pump sources has enabled new and more
efficient technologies, such as the thin-disk laser shown in Fig. 6.21
(see also Chap. 10) and fiber lasers (see Chaps. 15–18).