Diode laser bar beam shaping by optical path equalization

A beam shaping technique for a high power diode laser bar is presented. This optical design reshapes the highly asymmetric and astigmatic radiation of a high power diode laser bar, equalizing the beam quality in the orthogonal axes without loss of brightness. The optical paths of each sub-beam are equal, realizing the conservation of the beam quality in a system just a third of the size of previous solutions with similar performances. We present the results of a simulation and the production of a prototype for focusing the beam of a QCW bar to a spot size of about 300 mu m with an NA of 0.28. The method for the realization of the optical elements is explained in detail.