BRIGHTLASE - Power Scaled Supercontinuum White Light Lasers for High Power Lamp Replacement

Lead Participant: NKT PHOTONICS LTD

Abstract

Since their introduction in 2005, White Light (Supercontinuum) fibre lasers have become a well-established research tool. Through successful TSB-funded R&D projects, Fianium’s commercial supercontinuum fibre lasers now deliver world-leading 10Watts average output power and find application in high-volume medical markets as a cost-effective, reliable, environmentally friendly alternative to high power Xenon lamps.
A fantastic opportunity exists for even higher power white-light lasers across markets ranging from defence (direct energy weapons and counter measures) to the entertainment industry (High-end digital cinema and laser shows).
In order to grasp this opportunity Fianium will build a laser prototype with 20 times the output power of existing state-of-art supercontinuum lasers and lay the foundations for 100 times power scaling to beyond the KiloWatt power level.
BRIGHTLASE is inspired by Fianium patent applications for state of art supercontinuum
fibre laser configurations which vastly extend the limits of the technology based on
conventional laser architectures.
The project will deliver a prototype white light laser with average power greater than
200Watts over the entire spectrum from the blue (400nm) to the near infrared (2400nm), comprising up to 40Watts power in the visible range of the spectrum. Moreover, the prototype will prove principle and will demonstrate the technology required to further power scale to the kilowatt level and beyond.
Successful delivery of the prototypes will present the opportunity to further exploit the rapidly expanding global market for industrial and scientific laser technology to the benefit of UK companies and the wider UK economy.

Lead Participant

Project Cost

Grant Offer

NKT PHOTONICS LTD £466,399 £ 209,879

People

ORCID iD

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