LASER ARRAYS FOR VARIABLE OPTICAL PROPERTIES

• US 20150340841A1
• Filed: 07/29/2015
• Published: 11/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lumentum Operations, LLC (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TriLumina Corp
• Inventors: Joseph, John R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,038,304 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2301/176 Specific passivation layers on surfaces other than the emission facet
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0014 Measuring characteristics or properties thereof measuring techniques per se G01J, G01K, G01N, G01R
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/005 Optical components external to the laser cavity, specially adapted therefor, e.g. for homogenisation or merging of the beams or for manipulating laser pulses, e.g. pulse shaping H01S5/026, H01S5/18388 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0234 Up-side down mountings, e.g. Flip-chip, epi-side down mountings or junction down mountings
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02345 Wire-bonding
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0237 by soldering
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02469 Passive cooling, e.g. where heat is removed by the housing as a whole or by a heat pipe without any active cooling element like a TEC
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/026 Monolithically integrated components, e.g. waveguides, monitoring photo-detectors, drivers stabilisation of output H01S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/04252 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/04256 characterised by the configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/04257 having positive and negative electrodes on the same side of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/06226 Modulation at ultra-high frequencies
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18311 using selective oxidation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18347 Mesa comprising active layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18388 Lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4012 Beam combining, e.g. by the use of fibres, gratings, polarisers, prisms
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/423 having a vertical cavity

Abstract

A VCSEL array device formed of an array of raised VCSELs on an electrical contact and raised inactive regions connected to the electrical contact. The VCSELs can be physically and/or electrically organized to improve power or speed, or in phase and in parallel. The VCSELs and inactive regions are positioned between the electrical contact and an electrical waveguide. The VCSELs may be separated into subarrays and each VCSEL may be covered with an integrated or bonded microlens for directing beams of light without external lenses. The VCSELs may also be electrically selected to form two or more groups, with beams of light from each group have unique divergences, unique power or unique optical power, and each beam of light in a group forming a spot at a point on a line, on the same optical axis, or as part of a pattern.

Claims

1. An optical device, comprising:

a laser array including a plurality of vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) devices arranged in a pattern on a substrate of the laser array; and

a plurality of microlenses formed within the substrate, each microlens among the plurality of microlenses being located over a corresponding VCSEL device, each microlens directing a beam of light emitted by the corresponding VCSEL device to two or more targets or for scanning without requiring optical elements external to the laser array to collimate or concentrate the light for illumination of the two or more targets.

2. The optical device of claim 1, wherein first beams of light emitted by a first group of one or more VCSEL devices are focused on a first target among the two or more targets, and second beams of light emitted by a second group of one or more VCSEL devices are focused on a second target among the two or more targets, wherein each beam of light among the first beams of light has a first unique divergence and forms a first spot at a first point and each beam of light among the second beams of light has a second unique divergence and forms a second spot at a second point, and wherein the one or more VCSEL devices of the first group and the second group are configured to be electrically selected separately or in combination.

3. The optical device of claim 2, wherein the first group and the second group are driven by direct current.

4. The optical device of claim 2, wherein the first point and the second point are on a line.

5. The optical device of claim 2, wherein the first point and the second point form at least part of a unique pattern.

6. The optical device of claim 2, wherein the unique divergence is formed by one or more of properties of the one or more VCSEL devices, properties of the plurality of microlenses, or a combination thereof.

7. The optical device of claim 1, wherein first beams of light emitted by a first group of one or more VCSEL devices are focused on a first target among the two or more targets, and second beams of light emitted by a second group of one or more VCSEL devices are focused on a second target among the two or more targets, wherein each beam of light among the first beams of light has a first unique divergence and forms a first spot at a first point on an optical axis and each beam of light among the second beams of light has a second unique divergence and forms a second spot at a second point on the optical axis, and wherein the one or more VCSEL devices of the first group and the second group are configured to be electrically selected separately or in combination.

8. The optical device of claim 7, wherein the first group and the second group are driven by direct current.

9. The optical device of claim 1, wherein first beams of light emitted by a first group of one or more VCSEL devices are focused on a first target among the two or more targets, and second beams of light emitted by a second group of one or more VCSEL devices are focused on a second target among the two or more targets, wherein each beam of light among the first beams of light has a first unique power and forms a first spot at a first point on an optical axis and each beam of light among the second beams of light has second unique power and forms a second spot at a second point on the optical axis, and wherein the one or more VCSEL devices of the first group and the second group are configured to be electrically selected separately or in combination.

10. The optical device of claim 9, wherein the first group and the second group are driven by direct current.

11. The optical device of claim 1, wherein first beams of light emitted by a first group of one or more VCSEL devices are focused on a first target among the two or more targets, and second beams of light emitted by a second group of one or more VCSEL devices are focused on a second target among the two or more targets, wherein each beam of light among the first beams of light has a first unique optical power and forms a first spot at a first point on an optical axis and each beam of light among the second beams of light has second unique optical power and forms a second spot at a second point on the optical axis, and wherein the one or more VCSEL devices of the first group and the second group are configured to be electrically selected separately or in combination.

12. The optical device of claim 11, wherein the first group and the second group are driven by direct current.

13. An optical device, comprising:

a laser array including a plurality of vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) devices arranged in a pattern on a first substrate of the laser array, wherein at least a first group of VCSEL devices among the plurality of VCSEL devices are configured to be electrically selected to form a first group, and wherein at least a second group of VCSEL devices among the plurality of VCSEL devices are configured to be electrically selected to form a second group; and

a plurality of microlenses formed within a second substrate bonded to the first substrate, each microlens among the plurality of microlenses being located over a corresponding VCSEL device, each microlens directing a beam of light emitted by the corresponding VCSEL device to a target or for scanning without requiring optical elements external to the laser array to collimate or concentrate the light for illumination of the target.

14. The optical device of claim 13, wherein each beam of light emitted by the first group has a first unique divergence and forms a first spot at a first point and each beam of light emitted by the second group has a second unique divergence and forms a second spot at a second point.

15. The optical device of claim 14, wherein the first group and the second group are configured to be electrically selected separately or in combination.

16. The optical device of claim 13, wherein the first group and the second group are driven by direct current.

17. The optical device of claim 13, wherein each beam of light emitted by the first group has a first unique optical and forms a first spot at a first point and each beam of light emitted by the second group has a second unique optical power and forms a second spot at a second point.

18. The optical device of claim 17, wherein the first group and the second group are configured to be electrically selected separately or in combination.

19. The optical device of claim 17, wherein the first group and the second group are driven by direct current.

20. An optical device, comprising:

a laser array including a plurality of vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) devices arranged in a pattern on a first substrate of the laser array, wherein at least a first group of VCSEL devices among the plurality of VCSEL devices are configured to be electrically selected to form a first group, and wherein at least a second group of VCSEL devices among the plurality of VCSEL devices are configured to be electrically selected to form a second group; and

a plurality of microlenses formed within a second substrate bonded to the first substrate, each microlens among the plurality of microlenses being located over a corresponding VCSEL device, each microlens directing a beam of light emitted by the corresponding VCSEL device for scanning without requiring optical elements external to the laser array to be moved in order to scan the beam of light to different locations.