An Efficiency Improvement Driver for Master Oscillator Power Amplifier Pulsed Laser Systems

Abstract

The master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) pulsed laser, one of the popular topologies for high-power fiber laser systems, is widely applied in industrial machining laser systems. In MOPA, the low-power pulsed laser, stimulated from a seed laser diode, is amplified by the high- power optical energy from pump laser diodes via the gain fiber. Generally, the high-power pump laser diodes are driven by lossy linear current drivers. The switched mode current drivers boost the driver efficiency but suffer from pulse energy consistency due to the current switching ripple. In this paper, a laser driver system that varies the switching frequency of current source to synchronize with pulsed laser repetition rate is analyzed and implemented. Experimental results are demonstrated using a 20 W pulsed fiber laser system.

Pulsed Laser Diode Based Wireless Power Transmission Application: Determination of Voltage Amplitude, Frequency, and Duty Cycle

“…The driver circuit for the LD is an important part of the system that can affect both the laser performance and overall system efficiency. Initially, linear current regulators were used to provide the low current ripple required for the LD [27]. However, the low efficiency and large size of linear current regulators made them less suitable for high-power applications, leading to the development of switch mode power supplies [19].…”