Test results of a diffraction grating beam combiner

Jonathan A. R. Rall; Paul L. Spadin; Robert K. Zimmerman Jr.; William L. Maynard

doi:10.1117/12.18194

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1 July 1990 Test results of a diffraction grating beam combiner

Jonathan A. R. Rall, Paul L. Spadin, Robert K. Zimmerman Jr., William L. Maynard

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Proceedings Volume 1218, Free-Space Laser Communication Technologies II; (1990) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.18194
Event: OE/LASE '90, 1990, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Abstract

A laser diode beam combiner employing diffraction gratings has been fabricated and tested. The Grating Laser Beam Combiner (GLBC) uses two holographic diffraction gratings to incoherently combine the first order diffraction components of four 35 mW AlGaAs lasers. The grating rhomb design minimizes the transmitter sensitivity to the inherent frequency instability of laser diodes. The overall throughput of the combiner is 74 percent. Each laser was temperature controlled to 0.1 C and modulated with 110 Mbps QPPM data. Two lasers under modulation were coaligned to within 76 microrad with a combined average power of 45 mW.

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Jonathan A. R. Rall, Paul L. Spadin, Robert K. Zimmerman Jr., and William L. Maynard "Test results of a diffraction grating beam combiner", Proc. SPIE 1218, Free-Space Laser Communication Technologies II, (1 July 1990); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.18194

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