Multiplexed Volume Bragg Gratings for Spectral Beam Combining of High Power Fiber Lasers

The recent development of kW fiber laser sources makes the concept of laser systems operating at power levels from tens of kilowatts up to 100-kilowatt levels a reality. The use of volume Bragg gratings for spectral beam combining is one approach to achieve that goal. To make such systems compact, lower the complexity and minimize the induced thermal distortions we propose and demonstrate the use of special volume Bragg elements which have several Bragg gratings written inside as combining optical components. The multiplexed volume Bragg gratings (MVBGs) were recorded in photo-thermo refractive glass and three beams with total power of 420 W were successfully combined using one MVBG. The combining efficiency was 97% and there was no significant beam quality degradation. The results demonstrated that the approach of using multiplexed volume Bragg gratings for spectral beam combining is an excellent extension to the current state of the art combining techniques. Especially valuable is the capability to reduce the number of optical elements in the system and while being able to manage the expected thermal load when kilowatt level sources are used for beam combining.