Coherent Beam Combining of Mid-IR Lasers

Military applications, such as IRCM (Infrared Countermeasures) and stand-off sensing, require highly efficient optical sources with power outputs for room temperature continuous wave operation of several to a hundred watts in the 3-5 micron and 8-12 micron spectral bands. While quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) have become the sources of choice in these spectral regions, the only realistic option to attain hundred-watt power levels with good beam quality is to coherently combine multiple QCL emitters into a single output beam. Leveraging advanced materials growth and fabrication techniques, Pranalytica will develop robust, compact, and cost-effective monolithic QCL beam combining solutions that will exceed the requirements of this solicitation, and provide the military with the required laser sources. Additional civilian applications, such as free space optical communications, are also envisioned.