Osram Opto Semiconductors, Regensburg, Germany, has unveiled a new series of laser bars with 200 Watts of continuous optical output power.

The SPL BKxx-40WFT laser bar series produces infrared radiation (915-1020 nm wavelength) at up to 65% efficiency at operating point, at 200 W of optical output power. Average operating lifetime exceeds 30,000 hours.

The new Osram laser bars are intended for use in direct diode lasers, with applications include direct processing of metals: welding, brazing, cutting, hardening, cladding, and coating. The company reports that Laserline has incorporated the bars into its fiber-coupled diode laser systems, with 2-15 kW of output power and more than 40% maximum overall efficiency.

The bars were developed based on results from the German government-funded HEMILAS project, which aimed to develop new lasers with higher output, narrower emission areas, and higher optical power densities. To date, the main results of HEMILAS have been efficiency-optimized structure of epitaxy layers and improved mirror technologies with a high damage threshold.