High power diode lasers

High power laser diodes are used in a wide range of applications including solid-state laser and amplifier pumping, thermal printing, and material processing. As reliable power and brightness levels increase, some of these applications can forgo the additional expense of solid-state laser fabrication and directly utilize the diode laser output. This imposes a number of demands on the laser diode itself including the maintenance of inherent high brightness, high reliability of a number of discrete elements, and high yield over a large surface area.