Radiant Beam Combining of Multiple Multimode Semiconductor Laser Diodes for Directional Laser Beam Delivery Applications

A laser-based assembly for combining a plurality of multimode laser beams in radiant space, comprising:

• a plurality of laser beam emitters;
• and
• a plurality of individual beam collimation optics, with one individual beam collimation optics being associated with each emitter,
• wherein the laser beam emitters and collimation optics are spaced and arranged such that, in use, individual multimode laser beams from each emitter cooperate and partially overlap with at least one other multimode laser beam to form a combined beam with a homogeneous non-Gaussian radiant intensity distribution across a selected solid angle.

A multi-spectral laser beam delivery system comprising:

• at least two laser modules, each laser module comprising a laser-based assembly for combining a plurality of multimode laser beams in radiant space, comprising:
• a plurality of laser beam emitters;
• and
• a plurality of individual beam collimation optics, with one individual beam collimation optics being associated with each emitter,
• wherein (i) the laser beam emitters and collimation optics are spaced and arranged such that, in use, individual multimode laser beams from each emitter cooperate and partially overlap with at least one other multimode laser beam to form a combined beam with a homogeneous non-Gaussian radiant intensity distribution across a selected solid angle, and (ii) each of the laser modules emits at a different spectral region selected from the group consisting of ultraviolet, infrared, near-infrared, short-wave infrared, mid-infrared and long-wave infrared, to provide a multispectral, radiantly combined laser beam at an output of the system.