On June 3, 2024, IRflex Corporation signed a SBIR Phase I contract with DOD for Optical Fiber Combiner for Combining MWIR Quantum Cascade Laser Beams
IRflex proposes an optical fiber combiner structure to combine the power from seven or more quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) emitting in the mid-wave infrared (MWIR) between 4.5 and 5 microns into a single output fiber. The total output power from the optical fiber combiner will exceed 80% of the sum of the emitted power of all the input QCLs, including the various losses (laser-to-fiber coupling, reflections, fiber transmission, splice, and combining efficiency). Also, the optical fiber combiner will be capable of outputting sustained average power of up to 60 Watts without damage. The Phase I effort will provide the modelling and experimental results to demonstrate the feasibility to develop and produce the proposed fiber combiner structure during the Phase II effort.
