Laser beam collection assembly and method of manufacture

Abstract

Embodiments of a laser beam dump assembly are disclosed. In one embodiment, the laser beam dump assembly includes a beam dump housing having a housing body and a channel formed therein, wherein the channel is sized to allow an incident laser beam to propagate therethrough to an interior space formed in the housing body. The laser beam dump assembly further includes a beam scattering member having a curved scattering surface configured to scatter or reflect a first portion of the incident laser beam and allow a second portion of the incident laser beam to be absorbed by the scattering member as thermal energy. A heat sink is coupled to the beam dump housing and in thermal communication with the beam scattering member, wherein the heat sink is configured to absorb and dissipate the thermal energy from the beam scattering member.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 508,656, filed November 14, 2023, entitled “Laser Beam Collector Assembly and Method of Manufacturing,” the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Technology

[0003] Laser beam collectors are used in a variety of applications to absorb unwanted or unnecessary laser radiation for a particular experiment or application (e.g., beams with undesirable polarization or wavelength). Laser beam collectors utilize various features to guide, scatter, and absorb laser radiation. These features include absorptive metals and coatings (e.g., black anodized aluminum, black tar-coated materials, neutral density glass, or compressed graphite). Many laser beam collectors include heat dissipation devices or features to absorb, conduct, radiate, or convert heat from the absorbed laser energy into the surrounding environment.

[0004] While these prior art laser beam collectors have proven useful in the past, several drawbacks have been identified. For example, prior art beam collectors often use relatively small absorbing or scattering surfaces, which can be damaged by laser beams with high energy density (fluence) or high peak power. Such beam collectors may require forced convection (e.g., cooling fans, water cooling), which can lead to unwanted vibration or potentially increase implementation costs. Furthermore, many prior art beam collectors have a maximum operating temperature limited to approximately 500°C and below. Therefore, the upper limit of laser power directed to these beam collectors can be relatively small. In light of the above, there has been a need for improved laser beam collectors capable of handling high laser power in a compact form factor and inexpensive package. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application discloses embodiments of laser beam collecting assembly. In one embodiment, the laser beam collecting assembly includes: at least one beam collecting housing having at least one housing body having at least one channel formed therein, wherein the channel is sized to allow at least one incident laser beam to propagate through it to at least one internal space formed in the housing body. The beam collecting assembly further includes at least one heat sink coupled to the beam collecting housing and in thermal communication with at least one beam scattering member. The beam scattering member includes at least one curved scattering surface configured to at least scatter or reflect a first portion of the incident laser beam and allow a second portion of the incident laser beam to be absorbed as thermal energy by the beam scattering member, and the heat sink is configured to absorb at least a portion of the thermal energy from the beam scattering member.

[0006] In another embodiment, the laser beam collecting assembly includes: at least one beam collecting housing having at least one housing body and at least one channel formed therein, wherein the channel is sized to allow at least one incident laser beam to propagate therethrough. At least one beam scattering member is in optical communication with the incident laser beam and has at least one curved scattering surface configured to at least scatter or reflect a first portion of the incident laser beam and allow a second portion of the incident laser beam to be absorbed as thermal energy by the scattering member. The laser beam collecting assembly further includes at least one heat sink in thermal communication with the beam scattering member.

[0007] In another embodiment, the laser beam collecting assembly includes at least one beam collecting housing having at least one channel formed therein, wherein the channel is sized to allow at least one incident laser beam to propagate therethrough. The beam collecting assembly further includes at least one beam scattering member having at least one curved scattering surface configured to scatter or reflect at least a first portion of the incident laser beam, wherein the beam scattering member is in thermal communication with at least one heat sink.

[0008] The curved beam scattering surface can have various shapes, including spherical, hemispherical, non-spherical, elliptical, egg-shaped, cylindrical, or parabolic.

[0009] The beam scattering component may be formed of a variety of materials selected from the following group: ceramics, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, copper tungsten, tungsten carbide, aluminum nitride, boron carbide, silicon carbide / boron carbide ceramic composites, zirconium oxide, zirconium oxide toughened alumina, alumina toughened zirconium oxide, and machinable glass-ceramic materials. Attached Figure Description

[0010] Various embodiments of the improved laser beam collector will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0011] Figures 1 and 2 show cross-sectional views of embodiments of prior art laser beam collectors.

[0012] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the improved laser beam collector.

[0013] Figure 4 Showing Figure 3 An enlarged cross-sectional view of the heat sink and the scattering member of the laser beam collecting assembly shown. Detailed Implementation

[0014] The exemplary embodiments described herein are all illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise expressly stated, the dimensions, positions, and distances between components, features, elements, etc., in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and may be enlarged for clarity. In the drawings, similar numbers represent similar elements throughout. Therefore, even if not mentioned or described in the corresponding drawings, the same or similar numbers can be described with reference to other drawings. Furthermore, even elements not labeled with reference numerals can be described with reference to other drawings.

[0015] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Unless the context clearly specifies otherwise, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" used herein should also include the plural forms. Furthermore, the terms "at least one," "at least a," and "one or more" may include both singular and plural forms depending on the context. It should be understood that the terms "comprise" and / or "comprising" used herein mean the presence of the stated feature, integer, step, operation, element, and / or component, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. Unless otherwise stated, terms such as "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish different elements. For example, a coupler may be called a "first coupler," another coupler may be called a "second coupler," and vice versa.

[0016] Unless otherwise stated, for ease of description, this document uses spatial relative terms such as “below,” “under,” “lower,” “above,” “higher,” “relative,” etc., to describe the relationship between one element or feature and another, as illustrated in the figures. It should be understood that these spatial relative terms are intended to cover different directions besides those shown in the figures. For example, if the object in the figure is flipped, an element described as “below” or “under” will become “above.” Therefore, the exemplary term “below” can cover both the above and below directions. An object may have other orientations (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or other orientations), and the spatial relative descriptions used herein are to be interpreted accordingly. A set of reference axes (e.g., X, Y, Z), orientations or coordinates, and rotations about them (e.g., θX, θY, θZ) may be included in the figures for the purpose of guiding and facilitating the reader's understanding of the figures and description, and do not necessarily indicate that any particular feature or element is aligned or orthogonal to other features or elements.

[0017] Paragraph numbering used herein is for organizational purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the subject matter unless explicitly stated otherwise. It should be understood that many different forms, embodiments, and combinations exist without departing from the spirit and teachings of this disclosure, and therefore this disclosure should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these examples and embodiments are provided to make this disclosure comprehensive and complete, and to convey the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0018] Figures 1 and 2 show schematic cross-sectional views of prior art beam collector arrangements. The beam collector 10 shown in Figure 1 uses a conical scattering surface 12 that scatters the incident beam 20 onto an opposing conical scattering surface 14. At least one disadvantage of this arrangement is that the conical surface 12 presents a very small reflection / scattering area and is therefore more susceptible to damage and degradation. The beam collector 30 shown in Figure 2 uses scattering surfaces 32 arranged at an angle relative to the incident laser beam 40 so that the incident beam 40 is scattered onto a second scattering surface 34. At least one disadvantage of this arrangement is that the scattering surface 32 scatters the incident beam 40 in only one direction, resulting in most of the incident power being concentrated at a single point on both the first scattering surface 32 and the second scattering surface 34. This can lead to poor heat dissipation due to the relatively small absorption area.

[0019] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view showing an example embodiment of the beam collecting assembly 100, configured to absorb light along optical axis A. OAt least a portion of at least one incident laser beam 50 (also referred to herein as "laser beam 50" or "beam 50") is propagated. In this embodiment, the beam collector assembly 100 includes at least one beam collector housing 110 (also referred to herein as "housing 110"), at least one heat sink 130, and at least one beam scattering member 150 (also referred to herein as "scattering member 150"). The scattering member 150 is configured to scatter at least a portion of the incident laser beam 50. The housing 110 has at least one housing body 112 having at least one internal scattering surface 116 (also referred to herein as "internal surface 116") defining at least one internal space 118. In one embodiment, the internal surface 116 is configured to at least scatter or reflect a portion of the laser beam 50 and / or absorb at least a portion of the laser beam 50 scattered by the scattering member 150, thus dissipating at least a portion of the energy of the laser beam 50 as thermal energy. In another embodiment, the internal surface 116 is configured to scatter or reflect a majority of the portion of the laser beam 50 scattered by the scattering member 150. At least one channel 114 is formed in the housing body 112, wherein the channel 114 is sized to allow at least one incident laser beam 50 to pass through the channel into the interior space 118. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing body 112 also includes one or more thermally conductive features 120 formed thereon and fastener channels 124 formed therein.

[0020] In the illustrated embodiment, one or more features 122 are formed along channel 114 in housing body 112. In this embodiment, feature 122 is an internal thread configured to mechanically couple beam collector assembly 100 to an external device, such as a lens tube (not shown). In another embodiment, feature 122 is a surface relief feature configured to prevent at least a portion of the incident laser beam 50 reflected by self-scattering member 150 from exiting internal space 118. These surface relief features 122 can have various shapes, including, but not limited to, square teeth, serrated, or similar shapes or any combination thereof. One or more fastener channels 124 may be formed in housing body 112, wherein fastener channels 124 are configured to mechanically couple beam collector assembly 100 to one or more components of an external device, such as an optical track system, optical pillar, or optical pillar system. In other embodiments, feature 122 (e.g., when provided as an internal thread) or fastener channel 126 (described below) may be used to mount beam collector assembly 100 to a laser, laser system, or other photonic instrument or system.

[0021] In the illustrated embodiment, one or more coupling features 126 (e.g., female threads) may be formed in the housing body 112, wherein the coupling features 126 are configured to engage with one or more corresponding coupling features (e.g., male threads) formed on the heat dissipation body 132. When such a configuration is made, the heat dissipation element 130 can be detachably coupled to the housing body 112, thus enabling replacement of any of the housing 110, the heat dissipation element 130, and / or the beam scattering member 150. In other embodiments, the heat dissipation element 130 may be integrally formed with or integrally molded with the housing body 112.

[0022] The housing body 112 and the heat sink body 132 can be formed from a wide variety of materials selected based on their thermal properties, including but not limited to thermal conductivity, heat capacity, coefficient of thermal expansion, melting point, laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT), or similar or any combination thereof. Such materials include, but are not limited to, aluminum, copper, steel, stainless steel, or a wide variety of alloys of these metals. In some embodiments, the housing body 112 or the heat sink body 132 may include temperature indicators (e.g., a feature emitting red or other colors) that indicate when a specific temperature range is exceeded. In other embodiments, temperature measuring devices (e.g., thermocouples, thermistors, or optical temperature probes) may be attached to the housing body 112 and / or the heat sink body 132 to prevent injury to the operator or user of the beam collector assembly 100 while operating the beam collector assembly 100. In some embodiments, such temperature measuring devices may be used to calculate the optical power of the incident laser beam 50.

[0023] In the illustrated embodiment, the heat conduction feature 120 is provided as a cooling fin, arranged to allow thermal energy present in the housing body 112 to radiate or convect to the surrounding environment surrounding the beam collector assembly 100. Thermal energy can be transferred from the heat conduction feature 120 to the surrounding environment via free convection or radiation. In other embodiments, thermal energy present in the housing body 112 can be removed using forced convection, such as a fan blowing air onto the heat conduction feature 120. Those skilled in the art will understand that thermal energy present in the housing body 112 can be removed using various or combined heat transfer mechanisms.

[0024] In the illustrated embodiment, the heat sink 130 includes at least one heat sink body 132 having a protrusion 136 formed thereon, and at least one recess 138 formed in the protrusion 136. In the illustrated embodiment, the heat sink body 132 includes one or more thermal conduction features 134 formed thereon. The thermal conduction features 134 are configured to conduct thermal energy present in the housing body 112 away from the heat sink body 132 in any of the various ways described above in relation to the thermal conduction feature 120. In the illustrated embodiment, the recess 138 is sized to receive a scattering member 150 so that the scattering member 150 is in thermal communication with the heat sink body 132. In various embodiments, the recess 138 may have various shapes configured to effectively transfer thermal energy from the scattering member 150 to the heat sink body 132. For example, in one embodiment, the recess 138 may have a concavespherical surface having the same radius as the scattering member 150 to increase the transfer of thermal energy from the scattering member 150 to the heat sink 130. In other embodiments, the heat dissipation body 132 may not include the protrusion 136. In some embodiments, a fastening feature 140 is provided in the recess 138. In some embodiments, the fastening feature 140 is a bonding compound, adhesive, or bonding agent, such as a thermally conductive epoxy resin, selected to retain the scattering member 150 and effectively transfer thermal energy from the scattering member 150 to the heat dissipation body 132. The fastening feature 140 may be mechanical (e.g., a set screw, clamp, press-fit, crimp, or riveting of the scattering member 150 within the recess 138).

[0025] In the illustrated embodiment, the scattering member 150 includes a curved scattering surface 152 (also referred to herein as "scattering surface 152" or "surface 152") having a center 153 (e.g., when the scattering surface 152 has a center, such as when the scattering surface 152 is spherical, hemispherical, cylindrical, etc.). In the illustrated embodiment, the center 153 of the scattering surface 152 is aligned with the optical axis A of the laser beam 50. OAlignment. In other embodiments, the center 153 of the scattering surface 152 may be offset from the optical axis of the laser beam 50. In other embodiments, the scattering surface 152 may not have a center. In other embodiments, when the scattering surface 152 has a degree of symmetry, the scattering surface 152 has one or more symmetrical central features, points, or lines. For example, when the scattering surface 152 is elliptical or parabolic, the central feature may be one of the foci of the parabola or the foci of the ellipse. In other embodiments, the scattering surface 152 may not have symmetrical central features, points, or lines. In one embodiment, the scattering surface 152 is configured to at least scatter or reflect a portion of the incident laser beam and allow a second portion 50 of the incident laser beam 50 to be absorbed by the scattering member 150, thus dissipating at least a portion of the optical energy of the incident laser beam 50 as thermal energy. In this way, the scattering surface 152 is configured to absorb at least a portion of the incident laser beam 50 as thermal energy. In another embodiment, the scattering surface 152 is configured to scatter or reflect all of the incident laser beam 50.

[0026] In the illustrated embodiment, the scattering surface 152 has an incident point 154, which is the point where the incident laser beam 50 enters the scattering surface 152. In other embodiments, the scattering surface 152 has multiple scattering surfaces. In the illustrated embodiment, the scattering surface 152 is a convex sphere. In other embodiments, the scattering surface 152 may have other convex shapes (hemispherical, non-spherical, elliptical, parabolic, oval, cylindrical, or semi-cylindrical). In yet another embodiment, the scattering surface 152 has a concave shape (hemispherical, non-spherical, elliptical, parabolic, oval, cylindrical, or semi-cylindrical). In yet another embodiment, the scattering surface 152 may have a random convex or concave shape. In yet another embodiment, the scattering surface 152 may not have a curved shape. For example, the scattering surface 152 may have convex or concave angular shapes (e.g., triangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, etc.). Those skilled in the art will understand that the scattering surface 152 can have any shape.

[0027] In the illustrated embodiment, the scattering member 150 is formed of a refractory material capable of handling incident laser beams 50 with very high peak or average power (typically measured in watts, also expressed as laser energy per pulse (in joules) divided by pulse width (in seconds), applicable to pulsed lasers) without damage (e.g., spalling, pitting, ablation, breakage, sublimation, or melting), or at least minimizing damage. In this way, the scattering member 150 can be formed from a wide variety of materials based on their thermal properties, including but not limited to thermal conductivity, heat capacity, coefficient of thermal expansion, melting point, laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT), or similar or any combination thereof. Furthermore, the material of the scattering member 150 can be selected to have sufficiently high thermal shock properties to avoid damage caused by rapid heating due to absorption by the laser beam 50. The material of the scattering member 150 can also be selected to handle extremely high laser energy densities (also known as power density or energy density, measured in joules per square centimeter (J / cm²)). 2 Furthermore, the material of the scattering member 150 can be selected based on its ability to withstand extremely high temperatures (e.g., exceeding 500°C, exceeding 1000°C, or exceeding 1500°C). The material of the scattering member 150 can be based on its coefficient of volumetric thermal expansion (i.e., the change in volume with temperature, typically expressed in °C). -1 The scattering member 150 is selected (measured in units) so that it cannot escape the restraint of the fastening feature 140. For example, in an embodiment, the scattering member 150 is capable of operating in a laser power range of 30 to 80 watts and a laser energy density of 40 to 150 J / cm², although those skilled in the art will understand that the scattering member 150 is capable of operating in a laser power range exceeding 80 watts and a laser energy density exceeding 150 J / cm².

[0028] Even if a material for the scattering member 150 is chosen to have the aforementioned properties, some damage is expected, and in embodiments where the heat sink 130 is detachably coupled to the housing 110, the scattering member 150 (and the heat sink 130) can be easily replaced. In other embodiments, the beam collecting assembly 100 can be configured for specific applications, such as various powers of the laser beam 50. One of the materials listed below can be used in medium-power applications, while another listed below can be used in high-power applications. Furthermore, the material of the scattering member 150 can be selected based on the expected wavelength or expected pulse characteristics (e.g., CW, pulsed, or quasi-CW) of the laser beam 50, for example, due to the expected absorption or scattering of the laser beam by the scattering member relative to the wavelength of the laser beam. In one embodiment, the scattering member 150 is formed of silicon carbide and has a polished scattering surface 152. In another embodiment, the scattering member 150 is formed of silicon carbide and has a scattering surface 152 with the desired roughness or anti-reflection characteristics. In yet another embodiment, the scattering member 150 is formed of silicon nitride and has a polished scattering surface 152. In other embodiments, the scattering member 150 may be formed of a wide variety of materials, including but not limited to, aluminum nitride (AlN), boron carbide (B4C), silicon carbide / boron carbide ceramic composite (SiC / B4C), zirconium oxide (ZrO2), zirconium oxide-toughened alumina (Zr-Al2O3), alumina-toughened zirconium oxide (Al2O3-Zr), or MACOR. ® It can be processed from glass, ceramic, or similar materials or any combination thereof. Those skilled in the art will understand that the scattering element 150 can be formed from a wide variety of materials or combinations thereof.

[0029] While in some embodiments the scattering surface 152 may be polished, in other embodiments one or more coatings may be applied to the scattering surface 152, for example, to extend its operational lifetime or to handle extremely high laser energy densities. Such coatings include, but are not limited to, single-layer or multi-layer dielectric coatings, including, but not limited to, calcium fluoride (CaF2), silicon dioxide (SiO2), and magnesium fluoride (MgF2). In other embodiments, coatings may be applied such as dichroic carbon (DLC), titanium nitride (TiN), chromium nitride (CrN), chromium carbonitride, titanium carbonitride (TiCN), aluminum titanium nitride (AltiN), or similar or any combination thereof. These coatings may be selected to enhance or control the scattering, reflection, or absorption of the incident laser beam 50 caused by the scattering member 150. In other embodiments, the scattering surface 152 may include one or more microtextured (or microstructured) or nanotextured (or nanostructured) antireflective coatings configured to reduce reflection from the scattering surface 152, thereby enhancing absorption of the laser beam 50 caused by the scattering member 150. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the scattering surface 152 may include one or more surface relief features configured to tailor scattering, absorption, and thermal conductivity properties for a specific application. In various embodiments, the surface relief features or nanotextured surface features may be formed by irradiating the scattering surface 152 with one or more laser beams of sufficient intensity to modulate the scattering surface 152, in order to enhance the scattering, reflection, or absorption of the laser beam 50 caused by the scattering member 150.

[0030] In many of the embodiments mentioned above, the scattering member 150 may be opaque or at least largely opaque to the laser beam 50. In other embodiments, the scattering member 150 may partially transmit the laser beam 50, thus reflecting at least a portion of the laser beam 50, absorbing at least a portion of the laser beam 50, and allowing at least a portion of the laser beam 50 to propagate through the scattering member, thereby partially scattering, partially absorbing, and / or propagating a portion of the laser beam 50 through a portion of the scattering surface 152 (the portion of the scattering surface opposite the incident point 154 of the surface into which the laser beam 50 enters), for absorption by the heat sink 130.

[0031] When configured as described above, the scattering member 150 is configured to reflect, scatter, absorb, or any combination thereof from the incident laser beam 50. The incident laser beam 50 may be a pulsed quasi-continuous wave (QCW) or continuous wave (CW) with a variety of different pulse widths (e.g., microseconds, nanoseconds, picoseconds, femtoseconds), wavelengths (e.g., in the ultraviolet, visible, or infrared range), or pulse repetition frequencies (e.g., kHz, MHz, etc.).

[0032] Figure 4 Displayed in Figure 3An enlarged cross-sectional view of the scattering member 150 and the heat sink 130 of an embodiment of the beam collecting assembly 100 is shown, with additional details regarding the interface between the laser beam 50 and the scattering member 150 and the interface between the scattering member 150 and the heat sink 130. As described above, in the illustrated embodiment, the incident laser beam 50 is incident at an incident point 154 on the scattering surface 152. Due to the curved shape of the scattering surface 152, multiple portions of the laser beam 50 are scattered or reflected in multiple directions, such as the scattered radiation 60 indicated by the dashed arrow in the figure. The scattered radiation 60 then incident on the inner surface 116 of the housing body 112 (shown in the figure). Figure 3 The heat sink 130 has a heat dissipation body 132, which has heat conduction features 134, protrusions 136 and recesses 138 formed thereon, as referenced above. Figure 3 In this embodiment, the recess 138 has a hollow cylindrical shape with angled surfaces, as if the recess 138 were formed using a standard twist drill. In this embodiment, the fastening feature 140 is a layer of epoxy resin applied to the surface of the recess 138, which is thick enough that when the scattering member 150 is placed in the recess 138, the epoxy resin fully contacts the surface of the recess 138 and the scattering surface 152, in order to effectively transfer thermal energy from the scattering member 150 to the heat dissipation body 132. In other embodiments, the recess 138 may be a concave hemispherical shape having the same radius as the scattering member 150, which will also effectively transfer thermal energy from the scattering member 150 to the heat dissipation body 132.

[0033] Depending on the material of the scattering member 150, a portion of the laser beam 50, as transmitted radiation 70, can propagate through the scattering surface 152 into the interior of the scattering member 150 (e.g., assuming the material is translucent). The transmitted radiation 70 can then be further scattered and absorbed within the volume of the scattering member 150, creating additional thermal energy within the volume of the scattering member 150. In other embodiments, the thermal energy present in the scattering member 150 can be radiated from the scattering surface 152 away from the interior space 118 within the housing body 112, absorbed by the housing body 112, and transferred to the surrounding environment. In other embodiments, the laser beam 50 can be incident at multiple incident points on the scattering surface 152.

[0034] The above description is illustrative of embodiments and examples of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the invention. Although some specific embodiments and examples have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand that many modifications are possible to the disclosed embodiments and examples, as well as other embodiments, without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the invention. Therefore, all such modifications to the subject matter described herein are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. For example, those skilled in the art will understand that the subject matter of any sentence, paragraph, example, or embodiment can be combined with the subject matter of other parts or all of the sentences, paragraphs, examples, or embodiments, unless such combinations are mutually exclusive. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be determined by the claims, and equivalents of the claims should be included therein.

Claims

1. A laser beam collecting assembly, comprising: At least one beam collecting housing having at least one housing body having at least one channel formed therein, wherein the at least one channel is sized to allow at least one incident laser beam to propagate through the at least one channel to at least one interior space formed in the at least one housing body; At least one beam scattering member having at least one curved scattering surface, the at least one curved scattering surface being configured to at least scatter or reflect a first portion of the at least one incident laser beam and allow a second portion of the at least one incident laser beam to be absorbed as thermal energy by the at least one beam scattering member; and At least one heat sink is coupled to the housing of the at least one beam collecting member and in thermal communication with the at least one beam scattering member, wherein the at least one heat sink is configured to absorb at least a portion of the thermal energy from the at least one beam scattering member. The at least one of the curved scattering surfaces is spherical.

2. The laser beam collecting assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one curved scattering surface is hemispherical.

3. The laser beam collecting assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one curved scattering surface is elliptical.

4. The laser beam collecting assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one curved scattering surface has an egg shape.

5. The laser beam collecting assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one curved scattering surface is cylindrical.

6. The laser beam collecting assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one curved scattering surface is non-spherical.

7. The laser beam collecting assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one beam scattering member is formed of a ceramic material.

8. The laser beam collecting assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one beam scattering member is formed of silicon carbide material.

9. The laser beam collecting assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one beam scattering member is formed of silicon nitride material.

10. The laser beam collecting assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one beam scattering member is formed of copper-tungsten material.

11. The laser beam collecting assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one beam scattering member is formed of tungsten carbide material.

12. The laser beam collecting assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one beam scattering member is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of: aluminum nitride (AlN), boron carbide (B4C), silicon carbide / boron carbide ceramic composite (SiC / B4C), zirconia (ZrO2), zirconia-toughened alumina (Zr-Al2O3), alumina-toughened zirconia (Al2O3-Zr), and machinable glass ceramics.

13. A laser beam collecting assembly, comprising: At least one beam collecting housing having at least one housing body having at least one channel formed therein, wherein the at least one channel is sized to allow at least one incident laser beam to propagate through the at least one channel; At least one beam scattering member having at least one curved scattering surface, the at least one curved scattering surface being configured to at least scatter or reflect a first portion of the at least one incident laser beam and allow a second portion of the at least one incident laser beam to be absorbed as thermal energy by the at least one scattering member; as well as At least one heat sink is in thermal communication with the at least one beam scattering component.

14. The laser beam collecting assembly of claim 13, wherein the at least one curved scattering surface has a shape selected from the group consisting of: spherical, hemispherical, elliptical, egg-shaped, cylindrical, and non-spherical.

15. The laser beam collecting assembly of claim 13, wherein the at least one beam scattering member is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of: ceramic materials, silicon carbide materials, silicon nitride materials, copper-tungsten materials, and tungsten carbide materials.

16. The laser beam collecting assembly of claim 13, wherein the at least one beam scattering member is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of: aluminum nitride (AlN), boron carbide (B4C), silicon carbide / boron carbide ceramic composite (SiC / B4C), zirconium oxide (ZrO2), zirconium oxide toughened alumina (Zr-Al2O3), alumina toughened zirconium oxide (Al2O3-Zr), and machinable glass ceramics.

17. A laser beam collecting assembly, comprising: At least one beam collecting housing having at least one channel formed therein, wherein the dimensions of the at least one channel are designed to allow at least one incident laser beam to propagate through the at least one channel; At least one beam scattering component having at least one curved scattering surface, the at least one curved scattering surface being configured to scatter or reflect at least a first portion of the incident laser beam; as well as At least one heat sink is in thermal communication with the at least one beam scattering component.

18. The laser beam collecting assembly of claim 17, wherein the at least one curved scattering surface has a shape selected from the group consisting of: spherical, hemispherical, elliptical, egg-shaped, cylindrical, and non-spherical.

19. The laser beam collecting assembly of claim 17, wherein the at least one curved scattering surface is configured to allow a second portion of the incident laser beam to be absorbed as thermal energy by the at least one beam scattering member.

20. The laser beam collecting assembly of claim 17, wherein the at least one beam scattering member is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of: ceramic materials, silicon carbide materials, silicon nitride materials, copper-tungsten materials, and tungsten carbide materials.

21. The laser beam collecting assembly of claim 17, wherein the at least one beam scattering member is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of: aluminum nitride (AlN), boron carbide (B4C), silicon carbide / boron carbide ceramic composite (SiC / B4C), zirconium oxide (ZrO2), zirconium oxide toughened alumina (Zr-Al2O3), alumina toughened zirconium oxide (Al2O3-Zr), and machinable glass ceramics.

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