High-power VCSELs for smart munitions

Jon Geske; Michael MacDougal; Garrett Cole; Donald Snyder

doi:10.1117/12.679296

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1 September 2006 High-power VCSELs for smart munitions

Jon Geske, Michael MacDougal, Garrett Cole, Donald Snyder

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Proceedings Volume 6287, Optical Technologies for Arming, Safing, Fuzing, and Firing II; 628703 (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.679296
Event: SPIE Optics + Photonics, 2006, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

The next generation of low-cost smart munitions will be capable of autonomously detecting and identifying targets aided partly by the ability to image targets with compact and robust scanning rangefinder and LADAR capabilities. These imaging systems will utilize arrays of high performance, low-cost semiconductor diode lasers capable of achieving high peak powers in pulses ranging from 5 to 25 nanoseconds in duration. Aerius Photonics is developing high-power Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) to meet the needs of these smart munitions applications. The authors will report the results of Aerius' development program in which peak pulsed powers exceeding 60 Watts were demonstrated from single VCSEL emitters. These compact packaged emitters achieved pulse energies in excess of 1.5 micro-joules with multi kilo-hertz pulse repetition frequencies. The progress of the ongoing effort toward extending this performance to arrays of VCSEL emitters and toward further improving laser slope efficiency will be reported.

Citation Download Citation

Jon Geske, Michael MacDougal, Garrett Cole, and Donald Snyder "High-power VCSELs for smart munitions", Proc. SPIE 6287, Optical Technologies for Arming, Safing, Fuzing, and Firing II, 628703 (1 September 2006); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.679296

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