Abstract :
Summary form only given. In 2014, the overall laser market is forecasted to exceed $9 billion dollars. We estimate that at least $1 billion can be attributed to high power laser diodes, either directly in sales, or as the value of pumps within other lasers. The term “high-power” means different things in different markets. Here we define it as a laser diode with a linear power density of greater than 50mW per micrometer of facet aperture width. Three large markets that such lasers serve are: telecommunications fiber-optic amplification, 3D sensing / gesture recognition infrared illumination, and industrial materials processing. The past, present, and outlook for lasers in these markets will be presented.
Keywords :
gesture recognition; laser materials processing; optical communication equipment; optical fibre amplifiers; optical fibre communication; remote sensing by laser beam; semiconductor lasers; 3D sensing; facet aperture width; gesture recognition infrared illumination; high-power diode lasers; industrial materials processing; linear power density; telecommunications fiber-optic amplification; Density measurement; Diode lasers; Erbium-doped fiber lasers; Laser excitation; Power lasers; Pump lasers; Semiconductor lasers;
