What is a High Power Laser Diode?
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A high power laser diode is made when an intrinsic semiconductor’s electrical properties are altered by introducing impurities to the surface of a crystal wafer. When semiconductor layers meet, charge carriers combine and the electrical current in the laser’s energy is released as light. High power diode lasers are small and light and require very little power. The laser's power output is what defines it as "high power." Most commercially available lasers have power outputs of milliwatts, whereas a high power laser diode has a power output of WATTs, generally above 10 watts. SemiNex supplies laser diodes with power outputs between 3 watts and 25 watts.
Market Demands for High Power Laser Diodes
High gain, high energy solid state lasers operating in the eye safe region (wavelength > 1.5 microns) are in demand for military and commercial applications. These lasers, which are based on crystals doped with erbium (Er) atoms, are expected to be more compact and efficient with improvements in laser diode design, cooling techniques, and component packaging. Since these diodes are currently unavailable with sufficient performance and cost, many system designs use short-wavelength diodes at 800 – 980 nm, which are readily available at high power and efficiencies. However, these short-wavelength diodes are not eye safe and do not meet the needs of many of the stated applications compared to 14xx-15xx wavelengths. Thus, there is an acute need for high energy, high power laser diodes.
SemiNex's Response to Market Demands
SemiNex Corporation has taken on a slightly different business model by providing better high-power semiconductor laser performance and efficiency with higher wall plug efficiency (~35%), while drastically reducing laser size, power consumption, and cost than other sources in the market place today. SemiNex's unconventional approach towards laser manufacturing utilizes a doping profile and unique application of quantum physics, exclusive to SemiNex, which has produced high power diode lasers available for extremely high volume production. SemiNex is positioned to provide high power laser diodes in a variety of systems and powers to meet the demands for both the defense and consumer markets.
High Power Diode Laser Applications
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A high power laser diode is an inexpensive, strong laser with many capabilities. High power diode lasers with wavelengths of 1310nm, 1550nm, and 1625nm are ideal for fiber optic communications, whereas high power diode lasers of 1480nm function well as pumps for optical amplifiers. However, there are other applications for high power laser diodes of these wavelengths, and many other wavelengths.
Free Space Optics and the use of High Power Semiconductors
Free space optical communication is a technology which allows information to be transported between two points through light. SemiNex high power laser diodes are used in free space optical communication because wavelengths between 1300nm and 1600nm are invisible and have a low divergence (light does not “spread” as it travels).
High Power Diodes and Military Applications
High power diode lasers are popular with the military for targeting. In the military, high power laser diodes are primarily used as laser target designators, which are used with precision-guided munitions to guide munitions. Because SemiNex’s high power diode lasers are between 1300nm and 1600nm and that light is infrared, a SemiNex high power diode laser is favorable when directing munitions at live targets because light from an infrared laser diode cannot be seen by the human eye.
The Medical and Cosmetic Industries and High Power Laser Diodes
Medically, high power laser diodes can be used for noninvasive surgery and to make small incisions in the skin to minimize scarring. Researchers hope high power diode lasers can also provide heat therapy for the treatment of leishmaniasis, a disease which causes flesh wounds, although more research needs to be completed to determine what wavelengths would be most beneficial to leishmaniasis healing. Using a high power laser diode for heat therapy would help treat the wounds from leishmaniasis quickly and efficiently, especially if used nction with the traditional treatment for leishmaniasis, Sodium Stibogluconate.
Cosmetically, high power diode lasers can also be used for medical purposes. An alternative to ablative full-face laser resurfacing cosmetic procedures is nonablative facial treatment with a high power infrared diode laser. This treatment is performed to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and rosacea and typically uses a high power laser with a wavelength of 1450nm. High power diode lasers can also be used in the treatment of saphenous (varicose) veins, typically at wavelengths of 1470nm.
