Lockheed Martin Coherent Technologies, Inc.

Coherent Technologies, Inc.

Iain T McKinnie

Scott E Christensen

Wayne S Pelouch

Duane Donald Smith

Josef R Unternährer

Josef Robert Unternahrer

Narasimha S Prasad

Jose Robert Unternahrer

John Koroshetz

Systems and methods for steering at least one of two or more optical input beams and forming a combined optical output beam are disclosed. A system has a waveguide, one or more phase controlling devices and one or more beam steering devices. The waveguide is configured to combine the optical input beams. The one or more phase controlling devices are configured to control a phase of at least one of the optical input beams. The system can form a coherently combined optical output beam. The one or more beam steering devices are configured to laterally steer, angularly steer, or laterally and angularly steer at least one of the optical input beams. The waveguide, in conjunction with the one or more beam steering devices, is configured to form the combined optical output beam that is angularly steered, laterally steered, or angularly and laterally steered.

Beam steering and combination

A system for transmitting the spatial profile of laser beams with particular applicability to coherently combine laser beams into one beam. The system includes a tapered waveguide with an inlet and outlet at ends of two waveguide elements each having a reflective surface facing into the waveguide. The reflective surfaces are non-parallel such that the inlet height is different than the outlet height, e.g., inlet height greater than outlet height. The system includes a beam input assembly controlling phases of laser beams input at the waveguide inlet, and the phases of the beams are locked to a substantially single phase. The waveguide length is selected to produce at the waveguide outlet a coherently combined laser beam from the input beams. The beam input assembly includes a laser beam source, a beam splitter generating lower power beams from source beams, and phase adjusters for controlling the phase of each input beam.

Laser beam transformation and combination using tapered waveguides

An apparatus for combining laser beams into a single high power output beam. The apparatus includes a self-imaging waveguide (SIWG) with parallel reflective elements that have a length that is an integer multiple of the self-imaging or Talbot length of the waveguide or an integer fraction of this self-imaging length. The apparatus also includes a system for controlling the phase of each of laser beams provided to an inlet of the waveguide. The phases are controlled, e.g., with phase shifters using active feedback or control signals from the inlet to the waveguide, such that a coherently combined beam is produced at the outlet of the waveguide; and this beam is typically a high power beam of 1 kW or higher. The phase shifters are often controlled to phase-lock the input beams and may be operated to steer or aim the output beam from the waveguide.

Method and apparatus to coherently combine high-power beams in self-imaging waveguides

Power scalable, rectangular, multi-mode, self-imaging, waveguide technologies are used with various combination of large aperture configurations,, Gaussianand super-Gaussianbeam profiles, thermal management configurations, flaredand taperedwaveguide shapes, axial or zig-zag light propagation paths, diffractive wall couplersand phase controller, flexibility, phased arrays, beam combiners', and separators, and other features to generate, transport, and deliver high power laser beams.

Power scalable optical systems for generating, transporting, and delivering high power, high quality laser beams

Power scalable optical systems for generating, transporting, and delivering high power, high quality, laser beams

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Denver, CO, United States of America

Iain T McKinnie