Arrangements for combination and fast-axis alignment of fast-axes of
diode-laser beams are disclosed. Alignment arrangements include providing
each diode-laser with a corresponding alignable fast-axis collimating
lens, providing individually alignable mirrors for steering an
re-orienting beams from each diode-laser, and providing single
diode-laser slab-modules in which the diode-laser beams can be
pre-aligned to a common propagation-axis direction, and in which edges
and surfaces of the slabs can be used to align the fast and slow-axes of
the beams. Beam combination methods include combination by dichroic
elements, polarization-sensitive elements, and optical fiber bundles.