High Power Red Laser Diode for Video Projection - Proof of Concept

CSTG Proposes to develop a high power red laser diode for digital cinema projector, Laser
TV and conference room projector manufacturers, as part of the projector’s RGB light source.
This Proof of Concept project will be carried out as a follow on from a Proof of Market
project which assessed the commercial viability for CSTG to develop such laser diodes.
Laser based cinema projectors offer significant advantages over current largely Xenon bulb
based equipment. Xenon bulbs are power inefficient and have short bulb lifetime. Laser
based cinema projectors offer high efficiency, long lifetime and a much wider colour space,
which delivers significantly deeper colours and higher brightness.
A laser based cinema projector requires red, green and blue lasers, each producing from 50 to
200 Watts. For the red laser this could be satisfied by combining the output of a number of
red laser diode bars. The red laser in such a projector system (which is the subject of this
project) ideally emits light at a wavelength between 630 nm and 640 nm. This is where the
responsivity of the human eye to red light is maximised. This particular wavelength
requirement leads to additional challenges for diode laser technology in the areas of: thermal
performance, facet coating and passivation, process yield, submount configuration and
speckle reduction, all of which present significant challenges.
The total worldwide market for red laser diodes in entertainment display was $32M in 2010,
is forecasted to grow at 20% per year and reach $50M to $100M in the next 5 to 7 years.
Thus there is a significant commercial opportunity if the required laser diode can be
developed.
As prices reduce, lower cost and higher volume projectors will start to use laser diodes for
their light sources and it is anticipated that other applications for high power red laser diodes
will also emerge.