Bright diode laser light source.

A simplified multiwavelength prototype of an axially symmetric diode laser device based on stacks made of single emitters has been made, and the performance of the device has been demonstrated experimentally. The results verify that kilowatt-level light power can be focused into a circular spot with a 1/e2 diameter of 360 microm, a focal length of 100 mm, and a numerical aperture of 0.24, thus producing an average power density in excess of 10 kW/mm2 and a brightness of 6x10(10) W m-2 sr-1. The experiments also predict that it will be possible to increase these values to more than 60 kW/mm2 and 3x10(11) W m-2 sr-1.