Incoherent, optically uncoupled laser arrays for electro-optic line modulators and line printers

In an electro-optic line printer comprising

• a recording medium,
• an electro-optic line modulator for presenting picture elements in spatially predetermined positions along a printing line laterally of said recording medium and having an optically transmissive electro-optic element and a plurality of spaced, addressable electrodes disposed on one side of said electro-optic element forming at the interface with said element an interactive region,
• means for advancing said recording medium at a predetermined rate in a cross line direction relative to said printing line,
• an incoherent, optically uncoupled laser array comprising a plurality of spatial laser emitters and productive of an output beam characterized by having high power density and a uniform far field emission pattern,
• index waveguide means formed between said spatial laser emitters to reduce the strength of evanescent field of said laser emitters from extending into adjacent emitters below a level required for accomplishing stable phase locking among said laser emitters to provide a broad output intensity envelope in the far field of substantially Gaussian profile with corresponding aligned Gaussian profiles with increasing applied input to said array without incurring emitter phase locking,
• first optical means for applying said beam from said array in a sheetlike line beam into said interactive region of said modulator, and
• second optical means aligned between said modulator and said recording medium for imaging said light beam from said modulator onto said recording medium.