Integrated assembly comprising vertical cavity surface-emitting laser array with Fresnel microlenses

• US 5,073,041 A
• Filed: 11/13/1990
• Issued: 12/17/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TTI Inventions A LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Bell Communications Research, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Rastani, Kasra
• Primary Examiner(s): Gonzalez, Frank
• Assistant Examiner(s): PALMER, PHAN T H
• Application Number:
  US07/612,924
• Time in Patent Office: 399 Days
• Field of Search: 350/96.18, 350/96.15, 350/96.16, 350/96.14, 372/43, 372/44, 372/49, 372/50, 372/98, 372/101
• US Class Current: 385/33
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0207 Substrates having a special shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18305 with emission through the substrate, i.e. bottom emission
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18388 Lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/423 having a vertical cavity

Abstract

An array of Fresnel microlenses is fabricated directly on the planar output surface of an array of vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers. A compact integrated assembly comprising precisely aligned lasers and lenses is thereby provided for focusing (or collimating) the output beams of the lasers.

Claims

1. An integrated laser-lens assembly comprising an array of vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers, each of said lasers comprising an active region sandwiched between a first mirror individual to each of said lasers and a second mirror common to all of said lasers and individual electrical contacts for each of said regions,

a substrate having a high transmissivity at the wavelengths emitted by said lasers extending across said second mirror and integrally formed therewith, and

a plurality of planar Fresnel microlenses formed in the outer surface of said substrate, each of said microlenses being in alignment with the individual electrical contact of one of said vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers and comprising means defining concentric zones.

2. An integrated laser-lens assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said zones are defined by a patterned layer formed on said outer surface.

3. An integrated laser-lens assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said zones constitute depressions formed in said outer surface.

4. An integrated laser-lens assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein at least one of said microlenses comprises a structure having multiple nested semicircular grooves having a common center that does not lie on the center line of its respective aligned laser.

5. An integrated laser-lens assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said microlenses are of the binary-phase type and said means defining concentric zones includes continuous vertical walls each of the same depth in said outer surface.

6. An integrated laser-lens assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said microlenses are of the multiple-phase type and wherein each of said zones includes a stepped wall.