PITTSBURGH, Jan. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The II-VI Laser Enterprise Division of II‐VI Incorporated (NASDAQ:IIVI), a leading provider of high-power semiconductor laser components, today announced the introduction of 170 W passively cooled and 250 W actively cooled laser bars.

Direct diode lasers used in industrial sheet metal cutting, welding and additive manufacturing are achieving up to tens of kilowatts of output power using wavelength and polarization multiplexing of multiple high power GaAs semiconductor laser bars. II-VI’s new passively and actively cooled laser bars enable high efficiency coupling into optical fibers due to their excellent mechanical flatness properties or “low smile”. They also feature a critical and proprietary hard solder technology which is designed to withstand the high power pulsed and on/off operation typical for direct diode lasers.      

“We continue to advance our high power GaAs semiconductor platform to extend our broad portfolio of seed lasers, pump lasers and laser bars that enable next generation fiber and direct diode lasers,” said Karlheinz Gulden, General Manager, II-VI Laser Enterprise. “The use of direct diode lasers in additive manufacturing to repair high wear industrial tools is one of the more recent and exciting applications enabled by our new laser bars.”

The 170 W passively cooled and 250 W actively cooled lasers bars are available over a wide wavelength range from 790 to 1070 µm to enable a wide variety of wavelength multiplexed laser designs. Both products feature II-VI’s proprietary E2 front mirror passivation, preventing catastrophic optical damage (COD) to the laser diode facet even at extremely high output powers. II-VI also offers high power laser optics, based on magneto rheological finishing and IBS coatings, for beam management and to fiber-couple direct diode lasers.   

II-VI at SPIE Photonics West, Jan. 31- Feb. 2, 2017, South Hall, Booth # 1833

II-VI Laser Enterprise www.laserenterprise.com