According to one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for
optically combining light beams is disclosed. The apparatus includes a
set of prism shaped doorways configured to receive output beams from at
least one optical device. Each of the plurality of doorways has a common
refractive index. The apparatus also includes a set of spherical mirrors
disposed substantially parallel to the plurality of doorways. Each mirror
is associated with one of the plurality of doorways. The apparatus
further includes a boundary layer disposed between the set of doorways
and the set of mirrors. The boundary layer has a refractive index greater
than the common refractive index of the plurality of doorways. The common
refractive index of the set of doorways and the refractive index of the
boundary layer are configured to change the angle of each of the received
output beams to combine the set of received output beams into a single
output beam.