An optical device for an optical sensor comprises a gain element of a semiconductor laser, a wavelength selective feedback element, and a sensing element. At least part of the wavelength selective feedback element and the sensing element are arranged in a common sensor package. The gain element is arranged to generate and amplify an optical signal. The gain element and the wavelength selective feedback element form at least part of an external cavity of the semiconductor laser, thereby providing a feedback mechanism to sustain a laser oscillation depending on the optical signal. The wavelength selective feedback element is arranged to couple out a fraction of the optical signal and direct said fraction of the optical signal towards the sensing element to probe a physical property of the sensing element.

A reflectivity of an end surface protective film of a semiconductor laser element is made less than or equal to 1% in a wide wavelength range. Semiconductor laser element includes semiconductor stack body having front end surface and rear end surface, and end surface protective film disposed on front end surface of semiconductor stack body. End surface protective film includes first dielectric layer disposed on front end surface and second dielectric layer stacked outside first dielectric layer. Second dielectric layer includes first layer stacked on first dielectric layer, second layer stacked on first layer, and third layer stacked on second layer. For wavelength λ, of a laser beam, refractive index n2 of second layer is higher than refractive index n1 of first layer and refractive index n3 of third layer, and a film thickness of second layer ranges from λ(8n2) to 3λ(4n2) inclusive.

In various embodiments, the beam parameter product and/or numerical aperture of a laser beam is adjusted utilizing a step-clad optical fiber having a central core, a first cladding, an annular core, and a second cladding.

A laser system includes: a first laser element constituting one end of a first external resonator; a second laser element constituting one end of a second external resonator; a diffractive optical element to which a first beam group and a second beam group enter; a partially reflective element that constitutes an opposite end of the first external resonator and an opposite end of the second external resonator, reflects a part of the first beam and a part of the second beam, and transmits the remainder of the first beam and the remainder of the second beam; and a beam deflection element that deflects the second beam emitted from the diffractive optical element toward the partially reflective element.

A system and method for tuning and infrared source laser in the Mid-IR wavelength range. The system and method comprising, at least, a plurality of individually tunable emitters, each emitter emitting a beam having a unique wavelength, a grating, a mirror positioned after the grating to receive at least one refracted order of light of at least one beam and to redirect the beam back towards the grating, and a micro-electro-mechanical systems device containing a plurality of adjustable micro-mirrors.

A semiconductor laser device includes: a semiconductor laser element; a lower base provided with the semiconductor laser element; an upper base that is electrically insulated from the lower base, and sandwiches the semiconductor laser element together with the lower base; a lens that allows laser light that has exited from semiconductor laser element to enter, concentrates the laser light that has entered, and allows the laser light that has been concentrated to exit; and a holder that holds the lens. The holder is connected to the upper base.

A semiconductor laser device includes: a plurality of semiconductor laser elements which emit laser beams with different wavelengths; a plurality of lens portions which collimate the laser beams; a wavelength dispersion element on which the laser beams are incident at different angles, and which changes the traveling directions of the incident laser beams according to the wavelengths to generate an emitted beam that is a combined beam of the laser beams; a plurality of first reflective surfaces which cause the laser beams to be incident on the wavelength dispersion element at the angles corresponding to the laser beams; and a plurality of second reflective surfaces which guide the laser beams to the plurality of first reflective surfaces.

In various embodiments, laser devices include a thermal bonding layer featuring an array of carbon nanotubes and at least one metallic thermal bonding material.

The invention may be embodied in other forms than those specifically disclosed herein without departing from itMulti-kW-class blue (400-495 nm) fiber-delivered lasers and module configurations. In embodiments, the lasers propagate laser beams having beam parameter products of <5 mm*mrad, which are used in materials processing, welding and pumping a Raman laser. In an embodiment the laser system is an integration of fiber-coupled modules, which are in turn made up of submodules. An embodiment has sub-modules having a plurality of lensed blue semiconductor gain chips with low reflectivity front facets. These are locked in wavelength with a wavelength spread of <1 nm by using volume Bragg gratings in an external cavity configuration. An embodiment has modules having of a plurality of submodules, which are combined through wavelength multiplexing with a bandwidth of <10 nm, followed by polarization beam combining. The output of each module is fiber-coupled into a low NA fiber. In an embodiment a kW-level blue laser system is realized by fiber bundling and combining multiple modules into a single output fiber.

A laser assembly (1710) for generating an assembly output beam (1712) includes a laser subassembly (1716) including a first laser module (1716A) and a second laser module (1716B), a transform assembly (1744), and a beam combiner (1746). The first laser module (1716A) emits a plurality of spaced apart first laser beams (1720A). The second laser module (1716B) emits a plurality of spaced apart second laser beams (1720B). The transform assembly (1744) is positioned in a path of the laser beams (1720A) (1720B). The transform assembly (1744) directs the laser beams (1720A) (1720B) to spatially overlap at a focal plane of the transform assembly (1744). The beam combiner (1746) is positioned at the focal plane that combines the lasers beams (1720A) (1720B) to provide a combination beam. The laser beams (1720A) (1720B) directed by the transform assembly (1744) impinge on the beam combiner (1746) at different angles.