Vixar, Inc.

Finisar Corporation

Honeywell International Inc.

Mytek, LLC

Other

Honeywell G.m.b.h.

University of Minnesota

Finlsar Corporation

Brenner, Mary K.

Johnson, Klein L.

Klein L Johnson

Mary K Brenner

Matthew Dummer

Ralph Herbert Johnson

Yue Liu

James Robert Biard

Mary K Hibbs-Brenner

William Hogan

James Kenneth Guenter

Bernard S Fritz

James Allen Cox

Jimmy Alan Tatum

Steven M Baier

Robert A Hawthorne, Iii

Ulrich Bonne

Dadi Setiadi

Thomas R Ohnstein

Tzu-Yu Wang

Teresa M Marta

Carol M Ford

Tal Bakish

Bo Su Chen

Kent D Choquette

Paul Eugene Bauhahn

James F Detry

Anand Gopinath

Randy J Ramberg

John A Lehman

Tal Fishman

Harold Y Walker, Jr

Gyoungwon Park

Benjamin F Olson

Lynn M Galarneau

Dave Shelander

David Sandquist

Robert Biard

Garrett D Cole

Chen Chen

Mary Hibbs Brenner

Benjamin Olson

Mary Brenner

James Detry

The present disclosure relates to a packaging approach for ensuring that high power optical modules incorporating VCSELs and VCSEL arrays remain eye safe. A VCSEL device or VCSEL package of the present disclosure may generally be configured certifying an optical device as eye safe such that the device is able to survive a single failure mode. In other embodiments, a multiple lens array is arranged above the VCSEL, which scatters the light into a wide range of angles such that a higher percentage of light will reach the photodetector located beside the VCSEL. In other embodiments according to the present disclosure, one or more methods and circuits are provided to detect and correct errors or failures caused by one or more unsafe conditions.

Eye safe optical modules

Systems and methods disclosed herein include an illumination module for 3D sensing applications. The illumination module may include an array of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) emitting light, a driver configured to provide current to the array of VCSELs, and an optical element configured to receive the light emitted by the array of VCSELs and output a light pattern from the illumination module.

3D and LiDAR sensing modules

The present disclosure relates to an approach for monitoring the output power of a VCSEL or VCSEL array in a relatively compact, low profile package. A VCSEL device or VCSEL package of the present disclosure may generally be configured with a photodiode for monitoring output power of one or more VCSELs. In some embodiments, one or more VCSEL devices may be arranged over or on a photodetector, such that the photodetector is configured to detect light emitted through a bottom of the VCSEL. In such embodiments, the VCSEL device may have a patterned bottom metal layer and/or an etched substrate to allow light to pass below or behind the VCSEL to the photodiode. In other embodiments, a photodetector may be arranged on a submount adjacent one or more VCSELs, and may be configured to detect light reflected via a diffuser in order to monitor output power.

Power monitoring approach for VCSELS and VCSEL arrays

A segmented VCSEL array having a plurality of individually addressable segments, each segment comprising one or more VCSELs. In some cases, at least two of the plurality of individually addressable segments may be driven in combination. The plurality of individually addressable segments, in some embodiments, may be centered around the same central point. An optical element may be used in conjunction with the segmented VCSEL array, and in some cases may be aligned to the central point. The optical element may be configured such that light passing therethrough may be directed according to which of the plurality of individually addressable segments is activated. In some embodiments, the optical element is a grating or diffractive optical element. The grating or diffractive optical element could be patterned with optical segments that each correspond to at least one the plurality of individually addressable segments.

VCSELs and VCSEL arrays designed for improved performance as illumination sources and sensors

Power monitoring approach for VCSELs and VCSEL arrays

A system and method for generating, enhancing, and detecting the amplitude and phase modulation of a laser under a condition of self-mixing is provided. The system may comprise a laser and a detector to extract the characteristic self-mix signal, which is then interpreted using algorithms implemented in hardware or software. In the case of the laser being a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting laser (VCSEL), the output signal can be detected by monitoring the surface light emission by means of a beam splitter, or in some embodiments as emission from the bottom surface of the laser. In some embodiments, the system may further comprise a wavelength filter such as an etalon in the signal path.

Self-mix module utilizing filters

A VCSEL array having a plurality of VCSELs, each having more than two modes, and the optical emission from each of the VCSELs overlaps in a far field of the VCSELs. A VCSEL array having a plurality of VCSELs, each having an aperture size of at least about 6 &#x3bc;m, and the optical emission from each of the VCSELs overlaps in a far field of the VCSELs. A VCSEL array having a plurality of VCSELs, wherein the spectral width of each VCSEL is at least about 0.5 nm, and the optical emission from each of the VCSELs overlaps in a far field of the VCSELs.

VCSELS and VCSEL arrays designed for improved performance as illumination sources and sensors

VCSELs and methods having improved characteristics. In some embodiments, these include a semiconductor substrate; a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) on the substrate; a first electrical contact formed on the VCSEL; a second electrical contact formed on the substrate, wherein the VCSEL includes: a first resonating cavity having first and second mirrors, at least one of which partially transmits light incident on that mirror, wherein the first second mirrors are electrically conductive. A first layer is between the first mirror and the second mirror and has a first aperture that restricts the path of current flow. A second layer is between the first layer and the second mirror and also restricts the electrical current path. A multiple-quantum-well (MQW) structure is between the first mirror and the second mirror, wherein the first and second apertures act together to define a path geometry of the current through the MQW structure.

Method and apparatus including improved vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

Plastic optical fiber data communication links. Particularly, plastic optical fiber data communication links for embedded applications. More particularly, unique packaging approaches to constructing a very small, low cost, but high performance optical link, which may operate at 1 gigabits per second (Gbps) or faster.

Plastic optical fiber data communication links

VCSEL apparatus having a substrate, a solid-state gain medium, a reflective mirror on one side of the medium, a movable reflective mirror on an opposite side of the medium, and a mechanism configured to move the movable mirror to tune a characteristic wavelength. Also described is a VCSEL apparatus having a silicon substrate having a slot therethrough and electrical connections formed on a first face, a substrate having VCSELs thereon and mounted across the slot and electrically connected to the electrical connections on the silicon substrate, and a glass substrate affixed to a second face of the silicon substrate. Also described is a VCSEL apparatus having a graded-index lens array having GRIN lenses mounted adjacently in a staggered arrangement, a PCB mounted to the lens array, and VCSEL chips mounted adjacently on the PCB and arranged so as to emit laser light through the lenses.

Method and apparatus including movable-mirror mems-tuned surface-emitting lasers

A laser system having separately electrically operable cavities for emitting modulated narrow linewidth light with first, second and third mirror structures separated by a first active region between the first and the second and by a second active region between the second and the third. The second mirror structure has twenty of more periods of mirror pairs.

Push-pull modulated coupled vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers and method

Direct modulated modified vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers and method

Growing community of inventors

Orono, MN, United States of America

Klein L Johnson