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Fiber Laser Beam Combining for High Efficiency and Light-Weight HEL Systems

Award Information

Agency:
Department of Defense 		Branch:
Army 		Award ID:
77403 		Program Year/Program:
2007 / SBIR
Agency Tracking Number:
A062-208-0671 		Solicitation Year:
N/A 		Solicitation Topic Code:
N/A 		Solicitation Number:
N/A
Small Business Information
Aculight Corporation
22121 - 20th Avenue SE Bothell, WA 98021 4408
View profile »
Woman-Owned: No
Minority-Owned: No
HUBZone-Owned: No
 
Phase 2
Fiscal Year: 2007
Title: Fiber Laser Beam Combining for High Efficiency and Light-Weight HEL Systems
Agency / Branch: DOD / ARMY
Contract: W9113M-07-C-0228
Award Amount: $729,999.00
 

Abstract:

High Energy Lasers (HELs) are required for a variety of military directed energy applications including area protection against rockets, artillery, and mortars (RAM). A typical laser enabling these applications should provide at least 10 to 100 kW of output power with excellent beam quality. Moreover, to provide maximum benefit on the modern battlefield, the HEL system should be portable, feature a high electro-optical efficiency and power-to-mass ratio, and have simple thermal management requirements. To meet these demanding specifications while overcoming the size, weight, and thermal management problems inherent to slab-based laser technology, we will demonstrate a spectrally beam combined (SBC) fiber laser system that combines the highly efficient power scaling capabilities for fiber SBC with the power-independent beam quality, high electro-optical efficiency, simple thermal management requirements, compact, modular, and flexible packaging, and fully integrated, automatic spectral control of fiber ring oscillators. To scale the power per fiber to the multi-kW level, we will also explore using polarized photonic crystal fibers (PCF), which have enhanced power handling and significantly lower nonlinear effects than standard large-mode-area (LMA) fibers. This approach dramatically reduces the number of fiber lasers, enables power scaling to the 100+ kW level, and improves system robustness.

Principal Investigator:

Thomas Loftus
Principal Investigator
4254821100
tom.loftus@aculight.com

Business Contact:

Dennis Lowenthal
VP of Research & Developm
4254821100
dennis.lowenthal@aculight.com
Small Business Information at Submission:

ACULIGHT CORP.
22121 20th Avenue SE Bothell, WA 98021

EIN/Tax ID: 911581683
DUNS: N/A
Number of Employees:
Woman-Owned: No
Minority-Owned: No
HUBZone-Owned: No