US 12,451,668 B2
Methods, systems and apparatus for reducing waste heat and/or light in fiber lasers
Tyson L. Lowder, Camas, WA (US); Robert Joseph Foley, Camas, WA (US); and Michael C. Nelson, Camas, WA (US)
Assigned to nLIGHT, Inc., Camas, WA (US)
Appl. No. 17/614,282
Filed by NLIGHT, INC., Camas, WA (US)
PCT Filed Jun. 15, 2020, PCT No. PCT/US2020/037804
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 24, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/252480, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 17, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/861,899, filed on Jun. 14, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0255296 A1, Aug. 11, 2022
Int. Cl. H01S 5/06 (2006.01); H01S 3/16 (2006.01); H01S 5/042 (2006.01)
CPC H01S 5/0617 (2013.01) [H01S 3/1618 (2013.01); H01S 5/042 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A laser source, comprising:
a plurality of pump elements configured to generate laser light;
a controller coupled to the plurality of pump elements, configured to select individual drive current levels to be provided, asynchronously, to respective ones of the plurality of pump elements responsive to a request for a laser power level and further configured to assign the current levels based at least in part on doping concentration or doping substrates or a combination thereof in a fiber laser optically coupled to one or more of the plurality of pump elements; and
at least one power supply coupled to one or more of the plurality of pump elements for driving individual pump elements at selected drive currents.