Quantum cascade laser beam combining method and device for aberration-induced annular light spot
By employing an aberration-induced annular spot beam combining method, a ring spot is generated using a mature optical lens and combined with an annular beam combiner, solving the problems of brightness improvement and system compactness in quantum cascade laser beam combining technology, achieving efficient beam combining and cost reduction.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-11
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-07
AI Technical Summary
Existing quantum cascaded laser beam combining techniques struggle to maintain or improve beam quality (brightness) while increasing total power, and existing methods suffer from problems such as large system size, poor stability, and stringent wavelength requirements.
A beam combining method based on aberration-induced annular light spots is adopted. Annular light spots are generated using mature optical lenses, and efficient beam combining is achieved through an annular beam combiner. Combined with other beam combining methods, costs are reduced.
It achieves efficient beam combining, improves brightness, and reduces system size and cost without relying on special laser modes, and has the advantages of versatility and high brightness.
Smart Images
Figure CN121806304A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of laser technology, and in particular to a method and apparatus for beam combining quantum cascade lasers with aberration-induced annular spot. Background Technology
[0002] Beam combining technology for quantum cascade lasers is crucial for improving their output power and brightness. Current mainstream methods, such as spatial beam combining, spectral beam combining, and polarization beam combining, all have certain application limitations. Spatial beam combining suffers from gaps in the near-field, leading to large system components and a bulky overall system. Spectral beam combining (grating beam combining and metasurface beam combining) has stringent requirements on laser wavelength, resulting in relatively poor system stability. Polarization beam combining can only combine two beams. Existing technologies have not adequately addressed the challenge of maintaining or improving beam quality (brightness) while simultaneously increasing total power. Summary of the Invention
[0003] This application provides a method and apparatus for beam combining quantum cascade lasers with aberration-induced annular light spots. It offers a quantum cascade laser beam combining scheme that does not rely on special laser modes, can generate annular light spots and perform efficient beam combining using mature optical lenses, has strong engineering feasibility, can be effectively combined with other beam combining methods, and has low cost.
[0004] This application provides a quantum cascade laser beam combining device with an aberration-induced annular spot, comprising: The first laser source is used to generate a fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam and input it into the ring beam combiner. The second laser source is used to generate a fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam and input it into the aberration-inducing optical system; An aberration-induced optical system is located in the output optical path of the second laser source. It is used to introduce controllable spherical aberration or other aberrations into the fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam output from the second laser source, so that it forms an annular spot with a low-energy dark area at the center on a specified focal plane. The beam emitted from the aberration-induced optical system is incident on the annular beam combiner. The annular beam combiner has a central aperture and an annular reflection region that match the inner and outer diameters of the annular light spot. The fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam output from the second laser source passes through the central aperture, and the annular light spot is reflected by the annular reflection region to achieve beam combining.
[0005] This application also provides a method for combining quantum cascade lasers with aberration-induced annular spots, including: Using the first laser source, a fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam is generated and input into the ring beam combiner. Using a second laser source, a fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam is generated and input into the aberration-inducing optical system; An aberration-inducing optical system is arranged on the output optical path of the second laser source to introduce controllable spherical aberration or other aberrations into the fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam output from the second laser source, so that it forms an annular spot with a low-energy dark area at the center on a specified focal plane. The beam emitted from the aberration-inducing optical system is incident on the annular beam combiner. Using a ring-shaped beam combiner, which has a central aperture and a ring-shaped reflection area that match the inner and outer diameters of the ring-shaped light spot, the fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam output from the second laser source passes through the central aperture, and the ring-shaped light spot is reflected by the ring-shaped reflection area, thus achieving beam combining.
[0006] This application proposes a quantum cascade laser beam combining scheme that does not rely on a special laser mode, can generate a ring-shaped light spot and perform efficient beam combining using mature optical lenses, has strong engineering feasibility, can be effectively combined with other beam combining methods, and has low cost.
[0007] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of this application. In order to better understand the technical means of this application and to implement it in accordance with the contents of the specification, and to make the above and other objects, features and advantages of this application more obvious and understandable, the following are specific embodiments of this application. Attached Figure Description
[0008] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the quantum cascade laser beam combiner with aberration-induced annular spot, as described in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation
[0009] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.
[0010] This application provides a quantum cascade laser beam combining device with an aberration-induced annular spot, such as... Figure 1 As shown, it includes: The first laser source 10 is used to generate a fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam and input it into the annular beam combiner 50; The second laser source 20 is used to generate a fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam and input it into the aberration-inducing optical system 30; The aberration-inducing optical system 30 is located in the output optical path of the second laser source 20. It is used to introduce controllable spherical aberration or other aberrations into the fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam output by the second laser source 20, so that it forms an annular spot with a low-energy dark area at the center on a specified focal plane. The beam emitted from the aberration-inducing optical system 30 is incident on the annular beam combiner. The annular beam combiner 50 has a central through-hole and an annular reflection area that match the inner and outer diameters of the annular light spot. The fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam output from the second laser source 20 passes through the central through-hole, and the annular light spot is reflected by the annular reflection area to form a combined beam 60, thus achieving beam combining.
[0011] In some embodiments of this application, a focusing mirror 40 is also included, located after the aberration-inducing optical system 30, for imaging the annular spot near its focal plane.
[0012] The first laser source 10 outputs a collimated Gaussian beam of fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode, or a coaxial laser beam output of quasi-fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode through beam combining methods such as polarization / spectral analysis. The laser output from the second laser source 20 enters the aberration-induced optical system 30. By precisely adjusting the distance between the two lenses in this system, a specific spherical aberration is introduced, causing wavefront distortion of the beam during propagation. The designed distorted wavefront is converged by the subsequent focusing mirror 40, forming a spot with a ring-shaped energy distribution and a dark center on its focal plane. The ring beam combiner 50 is precisely placed on this focal plane. The Gaussian beam from the first laser source 10 passes through the central aperture of the ring beam combiner 50, while the ring-shaped spot formed by the second laser source 20 is reflected by the ring-shaped reflecting surface of the ring beam combiner 50, and the two beams are combined into one, outputting a brighter composite beam 60.
[0013] In some embodiments of this application, the focusing mirror 40 is a concave mirror.
[0014] In some embodiments of this application, the quantum cascade laser generated by the first laser source 10 and the quantum cascade laser generated by the second laser source 20 have both undergone basic collimation and shaping.
[0015] In some embodiments of this application, the first laser source 10 and the second laser source 20 are quantum cascade lasers that generate fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beams, or coaxial laser sources that achieve quasi-fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode output through beam combining.
[0016] In some embodiments of this application, the aberration-inducing optical system 30 is a dual-lens group with adjustable spacing. By precisely adjusting the distance between the two lenses, the type and magnitude of the aberration can be accurately controlled, thereby regulating the inner and outer diameters and energy distribution of the annular light spot.
[0017] In some embodiments of this application, the annular beam combiner 50 is disposed at the focal plane position of the focusing mirror.
[0018] The quantum cascade laser beam combiner of this application does not require special diffraction optical elements such as vortex phase plates. It can generate the required annular spot using only conventional lenses and mechanical adjustment mechanisms, reducing manufacturing difficulty and cost. By adjusting the spacing of the dual lens groups, the shape of the annular spot can be flexibly changed, thereby better matching it with the Gaussian beam and achieving optimal beam combining efficiency.
[0019] This application is applicable to any quantum cascade laser capable of collimated output, without requiring the laser itself to generate a special mode, thus exhibiting strong versatility. It possesses advantages such as insensitivity to wavelength and polarization, relatively compact structure, and effective brightness enhancement.
[0020] This application also proposes a method for beam combining quantum cascade lasers with aberration-induced annular spots, including: Using the first laser source, a fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam is generated and input into the ring beam combiner. Using a second laser source, a fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam is generated and input into the aberration-inducing optical system; An aberration-inducing optical system is arranged on the output optical path of the second laser source to introduce controllable spherical aberration or other aberrations into the fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam output from the second laser source, so that it forms an annular spot with a low-energy dark area at the center on a specified focal plane. The beam emitted from the aberration-inducing optical system is incident on the annular beam combiner. Using a ring-shaped beam combiner, which has a central aperture and a ring-shaped reflection area that match the inner and outer diameters of the ring-shaped light spot, the fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam output from the second laser source passes through the central aperture, and the ring-shaped light spot is reflected by the ring-shaped reflection area, thus achieving beam combining.
[0021] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.
[0022] The sequence numbers of the embodiments in this application are for descriptive purposes only and do not represent the superiority or inferiority of the embodiments.
[0023] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. All of these forms are within the protection scope of this application.
Claims
1. A quantum cascade laser beam combiner with an aberration-induced annular spot, characterized in that, include: The first laser source is used to generate a fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam and input it into the ring beam combiner. The second laser source is used to generate a fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam and input it into the aberration-inducing optical system; An aberration-induced optical system is located in the output optical path of the second laser source. It is used to introduce controllable spherical aberration or other aberrations into the fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam output from the second laser source, so that it forms an annular spot with a low-energy dark area at the center on a specified focal plane. The beam emitted from the aberration-induced optical system is incident on the annular beam combiner. The annular beam combiner has a central aperture and an annular reflection region that match the inner and outer diameters of the annular light spot. The fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam output from the second laser source passes through the central aperture, and the annular light spot is reflected by the annular reflection region to achieve beam combining.
2. The quantum cascade laser beam combiner with aberration-induced annular spot as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a focusing mirror, located after the aberration-inducing optical system, for imaging the annular spot near its focal plane.
3. The quantum cascade laser beam combiner with aberration-induced annular spot as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The focusing mirror is a concave mirror.
4. The quantum cascade laser beam combiner with aberration-induced annular spot as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The quantum cascade lasers generated by the first laser source and the second laser source have both undergone basic collimation and shaping.
5. The quantum cascade laser beam combiner with aberration-induced annular spot as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The first laser source and the second laser source are either quantum cascade lasers that generate fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beams, or coaxial laser sources that achieve quasi-fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode output through beam combining.
6. The quantum cascade laser beam combiner with aberration-induced annular spot as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The aberration-inducing optical system is a dual-lens group with adjustable spacing. By adjusting the distance between the lenses, the type and magnitude of aberrations can be controlled to regulate the inner and outer diameters and energy distribution of the annular light spot.
7. The quantum cascade laser beam combiner with aberration-induced annular spot as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The annular beam combiner is positioned at the focal plane of the focusing mirror.
8. A method for beam combining quantum cascade lasers with aberration-induced annular spot, characterized in that, include: Using the first laser source, a fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam is generated and input into the ring beam combiner. Using a second laser source, a fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam is generated and input into the aberration-inducing optical system; An aberration-inducing optical system is arranged on the output optical path of the second laser source to introduce controllable spherical aberration or other aberrations into the fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam output from the second laser source, so that it forms an annular spot with a low-energy dark area at the center on a specified focal plane. The beam emitted from the aberration-inducing optical system is incident on the annular beam combiner. Using a ring-shaped beam combiner, which has a central aperture and a ring-shaped reflection area that match the inner and outer diameters of the ring-shaped light spot, the fundamental transverse mode / quasi-fundamental transverse mode Gaussian beam output from the second laser source passes through the central aperture, and the ring-shaped light spot is reflected by the ring-shaped reflection area, thus achieving beam combining.