DRDO's SSPL Develops 500-Watt Laser Diode Stacks for Missile Proximity Fuzes

The Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL), a Delhi-based laboratory of India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has successfully developed and packaged 500-watt pulsed laser diode stacks operating at a wavelength of 905 nanometres. The components are the core elements of laser proximity fuzes, detonation mechanisms that use laser beams to measure the distance to a target so a missile's warhead fires at the intended range.

The laser stacks are intended to support two Indian missile programmes: the Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM) and the Next-Generation Anti-Radiation Missile (NGARM, part of the Rudram series). To move the technology from laboratory development toward practical use, SSPL delivered an initial batch of 50 prototype laser diode stacks to the Instruments Research and Development Establishment (IRDE) in Dehradun, which will subject them to real-world trials and evaluation.

The handover took place between Dr Anesh Kumar Sharma, director of SSPL, and Dr Ajay Kumar, director of IRDE, alongside Dr Sudhir Khare and other senior DRDO scientists. Building the units involved precisely stacking multiple laser diode chips to achieve the required high-power output, work that drew on collaboration between multiple DRDO laboratories covering semiconductor design, fabrication, packaging and system integration.

To confirm the fuzes can survive the physical stress, heat and vibration of a missile launch, the prototypes have been tested to meet strict military (MIL) standards.