New laser bar series of Osram Opto Semiconductors with 200 Watt continuous power

An extremely high efficiency of up to 65 percent at 200 Watt optical output power – these are the outstanding features of Osram Opto Semiconductors’ new laser bars. They can simplify the design of laser systems and reduce their cost. Laserline, one of the leading manufacturers of diode lasers for industrial material processing, now also makes full use of these advantages.

Laser bars from Osram Opto Semiconductors are the core of the latest and most powerful fiber-coupled diode laser series of Laserline. The complete system is water-cooled and supplies between 2 and 15 kilowatt (kW) power via a fiber with a core diameter of 1 to 2 mm. Its overall efficiency reaches maximum levels of more than 40 percent, due to the high efficiency of the used laser bars.

The laser bar series SPL BKxx-40WFT produces infrared radiation in various wavelengths, ranging from 915 to 1020 nanometers (nm). As a result of their excellent efficiency values of up to 65 percent, the bars achieve a long operating lifetime, thus meeting the requirements for industrial laser systems.

Efficient total system

Besides the optical pumping of fiber lasers, direct material processing, e.g. welding and cutting of metals in the automotive industry, is one of the main applications of infrared lasers with more than 1 kW power. Direct diode lasers are the most efficient laser light sources for such fiber-coupled systems and thus are a suitable alternative for the previously often used though less efficient carbon dioxide lasers.

Michael Klein, Marketing Manager for laser bars with Osram Opto Semiconductors, emphasizes: “Our developments in the field of laser bars push the utilization of direct diode lasers into ever higher power ranges, thus enabling our customers to open up new markets. The end-users benefit from the improved technology, e.g. lower investment cost because less laser bars are required to generate the needed power. Furthermore, the cost for electricity and maintenance will also decrease due to high efficiency and long operating lifetime.”

This cutting-edge laser has been developed on the basis of results, which of Osram Opto Semiconductors generated in the project HEMILAS, supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Main results are the efficiency-optimized structure of epitaxy layers and improved mirror technologies with a high damage threshold.

High power for tens of thousands of hours: the laser bar series SPL BKxx-40WFT produces 200 W at continuous operation, achieving an efficiency of 65 percent.