Efficient side lobe suppression of laser diode arrays

An optical technique is described which converts multilobed far-field patterns from in-phase laser arrays into a single-lobed pattern. The technique redistributes the output light from the laser array to produce a uniformly illuminated aperture. This filled aperture produces negligible side lobes, and efficiently channels the array power into the main lobe. Experiments performed on a ten-element Y-guide laser array show an increase in main lobe power from 51 to 90% of the total array power.