Wavelength beam combining of laser arrays

Laser beam combining technologies are of current interest for scaling lasers to high average output power while maintaining single-spatial-mode beam profiles. In order to achieve higher output powers we have extended the WBC concept to a master-oscillator power-amplifier (MOPA) configuration. A MOPA architecture was chosen to separate the power generation components from those that define the spectral and temporal characteristics. This provides ease of power scaling. It allows us to handle the pulsing issues associated with ytterbium (Yb) doped fiber lasers at low power levels.