We present a new concept for pixelated heating with high spatial resolution (~ 100 um) and high power densities (~ 10^4 W/cm^2), using high-power VCSEL arrays. Based on this concept, we developed a laser system with 3456 individually addressable pixels, with a total maximum output power of ~ 6 kW. Together with our partner EOS we integrated this system into a new generation of polymer 3D printing machines. Functional polymer parts of very high quality could be demonstrated. Due to the high parallelism and the high power, the production speed could be increased by about 10x compared to the best conventional SLS machines with scanning lasers.

Photonic-crystal surface-emitting lasers (PCSELs) are currently attracting much attention for their simultaneous achievement of high output power and high beam quality as well as their exhibition of functionalities that are not easily achievable with other types of lasers, such as polarization and beam-pattern control and on-chip beam-direction control. To strengthen the research and development of PCSELs and make a social application of PCSELs, we recently established the Center of Excellence (COE) for PCSELs in Kyoto University, where in total more than 45 companies are related in various ways. In this conference, we will review the activity of the COE as well as the latest development of PCSELs.

Over the past 60 years, output power from individual diode lasers has improved, but increasingly incrementally. Most high-power pump lasers today are based upon 2D laser arrays in the form of stacks of 1D semiconductor bars or 2D VCSEL arrays. Unlike these incumbents, photonic crystal surface emitters have the ability to be scaled in 2D and also provide a coherent emission. Vector Photonics is a UK based company commercialising PCSEL technology across material systems, wavelengths, and applications spaces. In this talk we review the journey from inception to commercialisation and discuss the roadmap to high power multimode and singlemode arrays.

Broad area diode lasers operate with high power and efficiency but suffer from poor beam quality. Diffraction-limited lasers with equivalent power offer a disruptive alternative for applications ranging from fiber laser pumping to automotive LIDAR. We report >9 W continuous output power with 50% E/O from tapered diode lasers at 885 and 980 nm. We show for the first time that beam quality degradation with increasing injection is completely mitigated and maintain a slow-axis M^2 of 1.3 from threshold to rollover. These devices are suitable for use as the building block of geometrical, spectral, and coherent beam combined arrays.

Blue High-Power/High-Brightness Direct Diode Lasers are rapidly evolving as one of the preferred laser technologies for processing highly reflective materials. This paper focuses on the recent advances applying Wavelength Beam Combining (WBC) technology to diode bars emitting in the 445nm region to demonstrate the power scalability with high beam qualities only achievable using WBC technology. We’ll present our latest developments including 400W Blue lasers coupled with fiber diameters ≤50um. We will also show results of combining multiple laser modules to scale powers to multi-KW levels with fiber diameters ≤ 100um. Finally, we will discuss the future of this technology.