Axicons to combine diodes for a single beam.

[GreatCornholio]

http://tinyurl.com/f7jqo PNG image of 5mm 7-beam axicon.
http://tinyurl.com/zantb SketchUp file.

SketchUp is now free for personal use. Google supply it for download.
(I use metres for millimetres for precision, to avoid scaling errors).

7-beam axicon, clear aperture 1.666666mm per input beam, 5 mm output.
Dielectric for 650nm to cover range from 630 to 670, on pyrex substrate.
Price and quantity unknown, depends on who gets together to make a bulk
order, and on who can make them. I don't have the knowledge or contacts to
organise that, I've just been talking about these on alt.lasers and making some
SketchUp models. I said I'd post here to see if this raises any interest.
This is the one I hope can be made. Much nicer than the 5-beam axicon, below.

http://tinyurl.com/zstqm PNG image of 5mm 5-beam axicon.
http://tinyurl.com/ht2zp SketchUp file.

If beams as narrow as 1mm can be collimated to within 1 milliradian, we can
get upwards of 1 watt in a 3mm beam, from 7 DVD writer diodes as input.

So long as the diodes' fast axes divergence is low, I think this axicon can work
well with the standard parts many of are already used to. I've no idea if I
can even afford this thing I've just specified and hope someone can make,
but maybe so, if we get enough people interested. As DVD diodes seem to be
easily collimated to 2mm or less, and are approaching 200 mW per diode,
these axicons might be a cheap way to make 1W red lasers. There are several
ways to solve the other problems of the design, but this part is vital, and
I don't think a commercial source exists, so there would need to be enough
interest to maybe persuade a Chinese company such as those making the 15K
scanners to do these, and maybe the scaled-down 3mm output ones too, from
1mm beam inputs, if it looks like diodes can be collimated to within 1
milliradian at that narrow a beam. So long as the fast axis is VERY tight,
this might be doable. If so, it opens the chance for most of us to get nearly
1.5W in a 3mm beam.

With polarising combination pairs per input beam, this could reach 3 watts.

Interesting idea. It would just be one hell of an alignment headache though. You would also be hard pressed to get an optics manufacturer to make them up unless you ordered 1000's of them. They would also cost a bundle as a new product that would have to go through R&D, mockup, custom tooling, manufacturing and testing.

M

[mixedgas]

Interesting idea. It would just be one hell of an alignment headache though. You would also be hard pressed to get an optics manufacturer to make them up unless you ordered 1000's of them. They would also cost a bundle as a new product that would have to go through R&D, mockup, custom tooling, manufacturing and testing.

M

I have four of them made, and it was easy for the person who did it, who had the right tooling. Only thing that makes them expensive or difficult is finding stirae free glass, and that is available, and not that expensive. I got them done to the specs of my original post in Alt.Lasers, 4 faces, so easy to align. We have some very skilled people here, and it was not hard for them to make these.

Oh, and yes, MADE IN THE USA!

Just gotta get em coated.

Steve

[shrad]

hey guys!

just had a fucking idea in mind...

if I'm not wrong, only vertical angle is critical with such axicons...

so what would prevent us from placing, say 5 or 6 diodes in range, each pointing the same place of the axicon? each beam would be reflected 90° to the top, no?

imagine a crown of 20 diodes with only a small axicon like this one...
then perhaps a second crown just hitting under the previous beams, and a telescope to tighten the beams?

makes me wondering...

[Laserman532]

hey guys!

just had a fucking idea in mind...

if I'm not wrong, only vertical angle is critical with such axicons...

so what would prevent us from placing, say 5 or 6 diodes in range, each pointing the same place of the axicon? each beam would be reflected 90° to the top, no?

imagine a crown of 20 diodes with only a small axicon like this one...
then perhaps a second crown just hitting under the previous beams, and a telescope to tighten the beams?

makes me wondering...

get to work on that! I think you might have something there! Ill look forward to the Pics

[MechEng3]

Someone has damaged something with these by now. If the lab has burned.....at least tell us how nice the beam looked before the fire was discovered and out of hand....hard to see it with the goggles and all.

[allthatwhichis]

Someone has damaged something with these by now. If the lab has burned.....at least tell us how nice the beam looked before the fire was discovered and out of hand....hard to see it with the goggles and all.

[Laserman532]

Someone has damaged something with these by now. If the lab has burned.....at least tell us how nice the beam looked before the fire was discovered and out of hand....hard to see it with the goggles and all.

the only thing that caused a fire was that it was on the back burner

[trwalters001]

I have four of them made... Just gotta get em coated.

Hey Steve!!

WTF??

I'm *still* soiling myself waiting for these...

I gots monies. I wanna buy.

I'm jiss sayin'...

[mixedgas]

I just got clear of most of the medical bills, and some clients who were behind payed me a bit. So now I can get them coated. The two freebie coating sources dropped out of the picture,. I'm playing catchup with a lot of stuff and getting behind. My staff of Me, Myself, and I need fired and replaced. well, at least myself and I, me seems to be doing ok.

Sorry,

Steve

[Laserman532]

I just got clear of most of the medical bills, and some clients who were behind payed me a bit. So now I can get them coated. The two freebie coating sources dropped out of the picture,. I'm playing catchup with a lot of stuff and getting behind. My staff of Me, Myself, and I need fired and replaced. well, at least myself and I, me seems to be doing ok.

Sorry,

Steve

Dont worry steve no one is bustin your chops. You know we are just givin you a hard time. You contribute the ultimate knowledge base 10 times more more than most and you are stretching yourself so thin I can reed Jenkins & White's Fundamentals of Optics right through you. Dont burn yourself out, keep exersizing and pace yourself...it will all come together.

If things take longer...so be it.