1. A planar light illumination module (PLIM) of compact construction for producing a planar laser illumination beam (PLIB) which emanates substantially within a single plane along the direction of beam propagation towards an object to be optically illuminated, said PLIM comprising: a module housing having an axial extent, first and second end portions, a central bore formed along its axial extent, and a wedge-like recess integrally formed in said second end portion; a visible laser diode (VLD) mounted along said bore at said first end portion of said module housing, for producing a laser beam generally along said axial extent; a focusing lens mounted along said bore between said first and second end portions, for focusing said laser beam to a predetermined focal point; and a laser beam expansion element mounted within said wedge-like recess at said second end portion of said module housing, and expanding said laser beam along a predetermined direction and producing a substantially planar laser illumination beam from said beam expansion component.