Phase-locking of a linear array of high-power laser diodes

Continuous emission was obtained from a phase-locked (in an external cavity) linear array of laser diodes with a power in excess of 10 W. This was done by using an efficient heat sink based on a porous structure with a thermal resistance better than 0.3 0C W-1. For a power of 1.5 W, a divergence of the lobes was ∼0.1 mrad in the plane of the p-n junction, corresponding to the diffraction limit at the radiation wavelength λ=0.94 μm for an aperture of 1 cm. The promising trends in the development of technologies based on laser-diode arrays are considered. (letters to the editor)