The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 11, 1997
Filed:
Mar. 02, 1995
Steven H Macomber, Newtown, CT (US);
Patricia A Lee, Brookfield, CT (US);
Hughes Aircraft Company, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Abstract
An array (10) of diode lasers (12) is comprised of a substrate (22) having a plurality of electrically conductive surface areas (24, 24a, 24b, 24c) and a plurality of diode laser subassemblies (20) individual ones of which are conductively coupled to one of the plurality of surface areas (24a). Each of the diode laser subassemblies includes a diode laser (12), preferably a SE-DFB diode laser, that is conductively coupled to and mounted upon a first surface of an electrically conductive body or submount (14). The submount has a second opposite surface that is electrically coupled to and mounted upon one of the electrically conductive areas, preferably with a layer (25) of compliant, deformable material such as indium foil or an indium alloy. The individual diode lasers are preferably electrically connected in a series, voltage adding configuration. The substrate further includes a plurality of electrical conductors for connecting to individual ones of the diode lasers such that a current flow can be established through a single diode laser. This facilitates the alignment process, and also enables individual diode lasers to be selectively energized. For each of the subassemblies there is provided at least one electrically conductive clamping member (26, 28, 30) for compressively urging the submount towards the substrate and for also coupling a current flow to the diode laser. A predetermined number of the subassemblies are arranged in a linear pattern on the substrate, and a lens (34) is disposed relative to the diode lasers in the linear pattern for collimating an output beam from individual ones of the diode lasers. A cylindrical lens is a presently preferred embodiment for the collimating lens.