DOE’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory looking for laser partners
The US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory wants partners who may want to license and commercialize its powerful fiber laser technology.
The technology, known as a Multiple-Core Ribbon Fiber Laser is made up of an array of fiber cores arranged in a single line. While the array is important, another aspect of the invention is that what’s known as a ribbon laser which “is pumped from the side with a simple optical arrangement which doesn’t require intensification of the pump laser diode output beam. This laser can be used as an oscillator or amplifier, and is intended to provide for high power operation, many times higher than possible with single core fibers. The laser is projected to reach 70 kW,” the lab stated.
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“Fiber laser technology is progressing rapidly. Fiber lasers are advantageous because of lower cost and lower maintenance (compared to competing technologies). With the improved technology, industry is producing increasingly powerful fiber lasers. Commercial fiber lasers are now available in the 10 kW range. However, theoretical computer modeling at LLNL indicates that single fiber technology will not be able to exceed 30 kW (because of non-linear and thermal problems),” the lab stated. This is where the Multiple-Core Ribbon Fiber Laser comes in, the lab stated.
The lab said that the new laser is appropriate for any application which currently uses a laser with a single fiber to include automotive, biomedical and manufacturing. The lab said the laser has been prototyped with positive results.
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