KYOCERA SLD Laser, Inc. (KSLD) is introducing its new high power 5 watt blue laser diode products for industrial, biomedical, defense and display applications. Accordingly, KSLD’s new high power blue laser diode products deliver 5 watts of optical power at 445 nm and are based on KSLD’s proprietary high gain semipolar GaN architecture.

The company has introduced the product at the ongoing SPIE Photonics West Exhibition, January 31 – February 2, 2023 in San Francisco, CA. The company also showcased its new high brightness White/IR LaserLight^TM SMD products.

In addition, KSLD also demonstrated its DataLight^TM high speed LiFi communication system. Meanwhile, it also highlighted its new innovations in high efficiency laser diodes for AR/VR applications and efficient optical power transfer technology.

The product is available in a TO-can package or chip-on-sub mount, as well as a fiber delivered configuration. The devices are suitable for integration into customer end systems in industrial marking, engraving for non-metals and organics such as resins, plastics, and printed circuit boards. Furthermore, they complement also 3D printing and welding of metals such as copper for EV battery production where absorption is more than 10 times higher than for infrared lasers.

Diverse Applications

High power blue lasers also have broad range of use in biomedical applications including dental, surgical, and dermatology where absorptions in hemoglobin and melanin are more than 5 times that of infrared lasers, as well as defense applications including avionics LiDARs and undersea communications. Additionally, high power blue laser diodes are used in projection displays to excite RGB phosphors to replace lamps in portable projectors, home theater, boardroom and education projectors, as well as large venue and cinema.

KSLD is also applying its high gain Semipolar GaN innovation to develop high efficiency low power red, green, and blue laser diodes to miniaturize, brighten, and reduce power consumption of RGB laser beam scanning modules for the emerging AR/VR market.

Meanwhile, KSLD’s LaserLight^TM SMD devices deliver high brightness white and infrared (IR) dual illumination for medical, machine vision, inspection, safety lighting, bio-instrumentation and other applications. The company featured expanded IR wavelengths from 850 nm to 1000 nm, and increased white light up to 1000 lumens to deliver high brightness, high visibility, eye-safe illumination.

On the other hand, mobility applications include automotive, avionics, drones, railway, and marine white light and IR night vision, range finding and flash LiDAR. Specialty lighting applications include portable flashlights and light bars, high lumen spotlights for avionics, helicopter search & rescue and security applications, as well as entertainment and outdoor lighting. Until now, dual emission white/IR sources have not been possible because LEDs and legacy lamp-based light sources are unable to deliver high brightness white and IR emission from the same point source, and they are incapable of being modulated at the high speeds required for accurate sensing and fast data rates.

Other Technologies, Solutions

To support the future of wireless connectivity, KSLD displayed DataLight^TM, the world’s first laser LiFi commercial development kit featuring a high-speed 1 Gbps, secure, RF-free, eye-safe bidirectional link.

Laser LiFi is being adopted in mobility applications including car-to-x exterior, vehicle interiors, airplane cabins, undersea and space, defense, and security, as well as future smart cities, healthcare, and smart factories. KSLD is pioneering LiFi innovations for future products as well and recently demonstrated world record performance of 100 Gbps. This product is a finalist for the 2023 Prism awards in the Laser category.

Beyond lighting, sensing, and communication, KSLD also demonstrated its innovative optical power transmission over fiber using its high efficiency GaN laser diode and photodiode semiconductor chip technology. This significant advancement in the field of power transfer has the potential to replace heavy and sensitive metal wire harnesses in mobility and harsh-environment applications with a lightweight, noise-free optical solution, increasing the efficiency and extending the range of electric vehicles, airplanes, or satellites, while making them more secure and safe.

In addition, this power-over-light solution can be configured to include optical data communications to deliver data and power to sensors in a distributed system in a vehicle or even in space, where radiation hardened GaN based semiconductors are suitable.