The invention relates to
laser beam shaping, intended to achieve a controlled intensity profile distribution, typically a
flattop distribution, by means of a plurality of
laser beam sources having a non-uniform beam intensity distribution (incident
Gaussian laser beams or other higher order multi-lateral
modes in the visible,
infrared or
ultraviolet spectrum). The laser
beam homogenizer-expander splits the
incident beam into sub-beams along the primary
optical axis using a first
beam shaping element and uses a second
beam shaping element, i.e., a second optical
integrator, which defines a flat-topped intensity distribution output, thereby providing a second homogenization stage. The invention also comprises a plurality of light diffusers (F1, F2), mirrors, filters (D1, D2) and output lenses (L1, L2, L3) to achieve good homogenization at the desired output angle, which will be described hereinafter in detail. The invention is directed to fully integrating / mixing laser sources of one or more wavelengths, such as red, green and blue, but may also integrate other wavelengths in the visible / invisible spectrum. If multiple wavelengths are used as the initial
laser source (LSI), the output of the light engine can provide good homogenization and
color mixing, little noticeable spots, near flat-topped intensity distribution, and no visible hot spots or interference patterns. The invention can be used in many applications, such as microlenses, material
processing,
fluorescence, lighting fixtures,
holography,
fiber coupling, and the like, which require the spectral characteristics (
narrowband, monochromatic) of the laser, but at the same time require a uniform distribution of the intensity.