Institut National D'optique

Bruno Labranche

Yves Taillon

Paul Grenier

Marc Levesque

Pierre Galarneau

Yves Champagne

Andre Parent

André Parent

Patrice Topart

Deni Bonnier

André Fougères

Daniel Asselin

Andr&eacute; Parent

Kevin Snell

A fiber-optic temperature sensor assembly comprises a cap with an inner cavity. A sensor member is received in the inner cavity of the cap. The sensor member has light-transmitting properties adapted to change with temperature variations. An optical fiber has a first end received in the inner cavity of the cap, and a second end of the optical fiber being adapted to be connected to a processing unit for transmitting light signals between the sensor member and the processing unit. A pressing device is received in the cap and pressing against the sensor member such that the sensor member is in operational contact with the first end of the optical fiber for transmission of light therebetween during operation of the fiber-optic temperature sensor assembly.

Fiber-optic temperature sensor assembly

A laser diode illuminator device and a method for optically conditioning the output beam radiated from such a device, so that highly-demanding illumination application requirements that call for high output powers within a specified field of illumination can be addressed. At the heart of the device is a two-dimensional stack of laser diode bars wherein the linear array of beamlets radiated by each laser diode bar is optically conditioned through its passage in a refractive-type micro-optics device followed by a cylindrical microlens. The micro-optics device performs collimation of the linear array of beamlets along the fast axis of the bars, and it also acts as a beam symmetrization device by interchanging the divergences of the laser beamlets along the fast and slow axes. The cylindrical microlens is for collimation of the beamlets along the slow axis. The optical conditioning is performed individually for each linear array of beamlets so that the radiance or brightness of the laser diode illuminator can be optimized while any specified field of illumination can be filled with an excellent uniformity of the radiant intensity.

Laser diode illuminator device and method for optically conditioning the light beam emitted by the same

A symmetrization device and laser diode system using such a device is shown. The device has adjacent lens components transforming beamlets from a laser diode array. Each lens component has input and output surfaces, each having a profile in the propagation direction of the beamlets and a contour perpendicularly thereto. The profiles of the input and output surfaces and distances therebetween are selected to permute the divergence along the slow and fast axes of the beamlets. The contour of each surface matches the cross-sectional shape of the beamlets thereat.

Symmetrization device and laser diode system provided with the same

An improved laser diode assembly and a method of making such an assembly are provided. The assembly has a substrate wherein channels are formed to receive laser diodes. The channels have an inwardly tapering shape, with a first side wall generally perpendicular to the front surface of the substrate and a second side wall at an angle with the first side wall. A metallic coating is provided over the front surface and the side walls of the channels, with a break at the bottom of the channels. Laser diode bars are mounted along the first side wall of each channel, and a conductive body such as a metallic wire is wedged between the laser diode bar and the opposite tilted side wall. The laser diode bars and wires are held in place by a solder layer. Advantageously, this assembly can be manufactured with less stringent fabrication tolerances than with known laser diode arrays.

Laser diode assembly

The multiple emitters laser diode assembly comprises a laser diode bar for emitting a laser beam. The laser diode bar comprises a plurality of emitters aligned with respect to each other in a same plane of emission. A graded-index elongated fiber microlens is transversely set at a given distance in front of the laser diode bar for controlling the divergence of the beam. The microlens has an axis of symmetry substantially intersecting the optical axis of each emitter. A mount is provided for positioning the microlens with respect to the laser diode bar. Alternatively, the assembly may comprise a laser diode array for emitting the beam. The laser diode array comprises a plurality of substantially parallel rows of emitters with a substantially regular period between them. An array of graded-index elongated fiber microlenses is positioned substantially parallel to the rows. Each microlens corresponds to one of the rows for collimating the beam generated thereby. The GRIN fiber microlens shows less alignment sensitivity than ordinary fiber lens or aspherical fiber lens when used in a multiple emitters laser diode assembly. The GRIN lens further has the advantage of collimating a laser diode bar or array with a high degree of quality while minimizing phase aberration and distortion in the collimated transmitted beam.

Multiple emitter laser diode assembly with graded-index fiber microlens

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Bruno Labranche