The size and weight of a fiber laser source are important metrics. The diodes used to pump this device and the cooling associated with it are the largest contributors to the size and weight of the fiber laser source. A bar-based approach has the potential for a lighter more compact diode since the source heat removal is done from a more compact heat sink.
In this paper we describe results obtained from the development of a bar-based fiber coupled diode source, resulting in over 500 W of power out of the fiber, with 49% efficiency, wavelength locked at 976 nm, from a 231 μm core 0.22 NA fiber.
