II-VI Inc ramps production of 18W pump laser diodes for fiber lasers

Engineered materials and optoelectronic component maker II-VI Inc of Saxonburg, PA, USA (which provides solutions for next-generation optical networks) is ramping up production of 18W pump laser diodes for fiber lasers.

Kilowatt-class fiber lasers used for cutting, welding and brazing rely on component innovations to scale their performance. II-VI’s new high-brightness laser diodes feature a 190µm-wide output facet designed to achieve optimum coupling efficiency into widely used 200µm-core fibers. The increased output power per emitter enables fiber-laser manufacturers to generate higher power levels with a reduced number of emitters.

“As a result of the strong demand for our new laser diodes, we will double our production capacity by the end of this year,” says Karlheinz Gulden, general manager, II-VI Laser Enterprise. “Customers continue to rely on II-VI’s high-power semiconductor laser technology innovations that enable their fiber lasers to be competitive in terms of power, reliability and cost,” he adds.

The 18W pump laser diodes are available at 915, 940 and 976nm. They feature II-VI’s proprietary E2 front mirror passivation, preventing catastrophic optical damage (COD) to the laser diode facet even at extremely high output powers. The pump laser diodes are offered as bare dies, chips on ceramic sub-mount or in fiber-coupled single- and multi-emitter modules.

II-VI’s broad portfolio of components for fiber lasers includes seed lasers, acousto-optic modulators, pump and fiber laser combiners, as well as micro-optics for high-power isolators and 10kW IBS-coated laser optics. II-VI also offers multi-kW laser heads and laser light cables.

In Hall A2, Stand #117, at Laser World of Photonics 2017 in Munich, Germany (26-29 June), II-VI is exhibiting its portfolio of merchant products for laser technology platforms employed in high-power or precision materials processing. From ultraviolet to far-infrared, II-VI’s laser optics will be on display along with new products for fiber lasers and as well as laser heads and beam delivery solutions. In the life sciences area, II-VI’s display consists of spectroscopy optics, flow cells and precision temperature controlled modules to support advances such as in DNA sequencing. The firm is also exhibiting products from epitaxial wafers to semiconductor lasers that can enable new features such as 3D sensing in the next generation of consumer electronics.