Starting from the basics of semiconductor lasers with emphasis on the generation of high optical output power the reader is introduced in a tutorial way to all key technologies required to fabricate high-power diode-laser sources. Various applications are exemplified.

This book summarizes a five year research project, as well as subsequent results regarding high power diode laser systems and their application in materials processing. The text explores the entire chain of technology, from the semiconductor technology, through cooling mounting and assembly, beam shaping and system technology, to applications in the processing of such materials as metals and polymers. Includes theoretical models, a range of important parameters and practical tips.

The State of the Art in High-Power Laser Technology Filled with full-color images, High-Power Laser Handbook offers comprehensive details on the latest advances in high-power laser development and applications. Performance parameters for each major class of lasers are described. The book covers high-power gas, chemical, and free-electron lasers and then discusses semiconductor diode lasers, along with the associated technologies of packaging, reliability, and beam shaping and delivery. Current research and development in solid-state lasers is described as well as scaling approaches for high CW powers, high pulse energies, and high peak powers. This authoritative work also addresses the emergence of fiber lasers and concludes by reviewing various methods for beam combining. Coverage Includes: Carbon dioxide lasers Excimer lasers Chemical lasers High-power free-electron lasers Semiconductor laser diodes High-power diode laser arrays Introduction to high-power solid-state lasers Zig-zag slab lasers ThinZag high-power laser development Thin disk lasers Heat capacity lasers Ultrafast solid-state lasers Ultrafast lasers in the thin disk geometry The National Ignition Facility laser Optical fiber lasers Pulsed fiber lasers High-power ultrafast fiber laser systems High-power fiber lasers for industry and defense Beam combining

Effects of High-Power Laser Radiation describes the interactions between high-power laser beams and matter. This book is divided into eight chapters that particularly focus on interactions such as heating, melting, vaporization, and plasma production. The opening chapters examine the laser properties, types, measurement techniques, and safety aspects. The succeeding chapters deal with a variety of physical phenomena and mechanisms of laser-induced particle emission, as well as the initiation and development of gas breakdown phenomena. Other chapters explore the effects and damage of various interactions in transparent materials and on biological systems. The final chapter looks into the practical applications of the various laser effects to diverse technological fields. This book will prove useful to scientists interested in the physical phenomena of laser effects and engineers interested in practical applications of laser effects.

The Laser world consists basically of two areas, which are necessary and in many cases also sufficient for effective innovation: The right laser for the right application. For the individual application that means the determination of optimized process parameters in terms of laser power, peak power/ intensity, focus geometry and dimension, pulse length, pulse repetition rate and wavelength to name only the six most important ones. Once these parameters are identified, the corresponding Laser has to be selected on the basis of commercial availability. Obviously there is no such thing than "One Laser for all". The situation is rather comparable with electrical power, were depending on the demand of the application in terms of voltage, current and time corresponding power supplies need to be tailored, however, with the difference that in the case of the Laser the variety of parameters is even higher, thus the technology is more complex but on the other hand much more flexible in terms optimizing the source to the application. As a consequence it is suggested to generate two volumes on Lasers and Applications named "Tailored Light".

This book covers the basics, realization and materials for high power laser systems and high power radiation interaction with matter. The physical and technical fundamentals of high intensity laser optics and adaptive optics and the related physical processes in high intensity laser systems are explained. A main question discussed is: What is power optics? In what way is it different from ordinary optics widely used in cameras, motion-picture projectors, i.e., for everyday use? An undesirable consequence of the thermal deformation of optical elements and surfaces was discovered during studies of the interaction with powerful incident laser radiation. The requirements to the fabrication, performance and quality of optical elements employed within systems for most practical applications are also covered. The high-power laser performance is generally governed by the following: (i) the absorption of incident optical radiation (governed primarily by various absorption mechanisms), (ii) followed by a temperature increase and response governed primarily by thermal properties and (iii) the thermo-optical and thermo-mechanical response of distortion, stress, fracture, etc. All this needs to be understood to design efficient, compact, reliable and useful high power systems for many applications under a variety of operating conditions, pulsed, continuous wave and burst mode of varying duty cycles. The book gives an overview of an important spectrum of related topics like laser resonator configurations, intermetallic optical coatings, heat carriers for high power optics, cellular materials, high-repetition-rate lasers and mono-module disk lasers for high power optics.

Advances in High-Power Fiber and Diode Laser Engineering provides an overview of recent research trends in fiber and diode lasers and laser systems engineering. In recent years, many new fiber designs and fiber laser system strategies have emerged, targeting the mitigation of different problems which occur when standard optical fibers are used for making high-power lasers. Simultaneously, a lot of attention has been put to increasing the brightness and the output power of laser diodes. Both of these major laser development directions continue to advance at a rapid pace with the sole purpose of achieving higher power while having excellent beam quality.