| CPC G02B 27/0172 (2013.01) [G02B 6/0026 (2013.01); G02B 6/0031 (2013.01); G02B 27/14 (2013.01)] | 18 Claims |

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1. A waveguide combiner comprising:
a first waveguide comprising first and second parallel totally internal reflecting face surfaces having a normal “nw”;
an input aperture through which light enters the first waveguide;
an output coupling configuration associated with an output coupling region, which expands the input aperture in at least one direction, and through which light that enters the first waveguide exits the first waveguide; and
an output coupler configured for use with at least one laser, and comprising a plurality of parallel facets embedded in the first waveguide and having a facet tilt angle β between nw and a normal “nf” to the facets which facets reflect light that propagates along the first waveguide and is incident on the facets out through the output coupling region, each of the facets having a coating providing:
a facet wavelength band for a lasing band of light provided by the at least one laser that includes wavelengths of light in the lasing band and in a range of wavelengths over which the lasing band is expected to vary;
a reflectivity angular range exhibiting a first reflectivity for light having a wavelength in the facet wavelength band that propagates in the first waveguide and is incident on the facets in a first range of incident angles;
a transmittance angular range exhibiting a second reflectivity less than the first reflectivity for light having a wavelength in the facet wavelength band that propagates in the first waveguide and is incident on the facets in a second range of incident angles; and
a see-thru angular transmittance range having high transmittance for natural light incident on the facets in a third range of incident angles.
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