The Department of Defense (DOD) is seeking proposals for the topic of "High-Power Single Mode Diode Bars" as part of their SBIR 24.4 Annual solicitation. The Army branch is specifically interested in this topic. The objective is to develop a diode bar with multi-watt power output per emitter while maintaining single mode operation when coupled to an external wavelength beam combiner. This technology aims to enable power scaling in direct diode high energy lasers (HELs) with improved efficiency. The Army is looking for diode bars with 5W-10W per emitter and >45% efficiency at 9xxnm-10xxnm wavelength.
The solicitation is currently open, and Phase I proposals are being accepted with a budget of up to $250,000 for a 6-month period. During Phase I, the government and industry will collaborate to refine the objectives and design of the emitter, supported by modeling, simulation, experimentation, and analysis. Phase II will involve completing a prototype design for production and delivering a demonstration device for testing against threshold specifications.
In Phase III, the technology has potential dual-use applications in sensing, communications, and directed high energy fields. Single-mode diode bars can be used in LiDAR, fiber optic communications, manufacturing, medical procedures, cosmetics, and printing.
For more information and to submit a proposal, visit the DOD SBIR website: link. The application due date is March 31, 2025.