초록 ▼

Laser diodes (120) emit laser beams along a vertical YZ plane at different distances from the YZ plane. The beams are collimated in their fast and slow axes, and are redirected by turning mirrors (162) to form a beam stack (130C) traveling along the XZ plane. The beam stack is turned by about 90

Laser diodes (120) emit laser beams along a vertical YZ plane at different distances from the YZ plane. The beams are collimated in their fast and slow axes, and are redirected by turning mirrors (162) to form a beam stack (130C) traveling along the XZ plane. The beam stack is turned by about 90°, then converged by a focusing lens (174) into an optical fiber (180). A compact assembly is thus provided. Each laser diode (120.i), its collimating optics (154.i, 158.i, i=1, 2, . . . ) and its turning mirror (162.i) are rigidly attached to a flat, heat-spreading surface (144.i) and thus remain aligned with each other in thermal cycling.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. An apparatus disposed in a region having a plurality of vertical sides comprising at least a first side, a second side, a third side, and a fourth side, wherein each of the second and fourth sides is between the first side and the third side, and each of the first and t

The invention claimed is: 1. An apparatus disposed in a region having a plurality of vertical sides comprising at least a first side, a second side, a third side, and a fourth side, wherein each of the second and fourth sides is between the first side and the third side, and each of the first and third sides is between the second side and the fourth side, the apparatus comprising: (1) a plurality of laser diodes arranged to emit laser beams into the region in a direction or directions away from the first side, wherein the laser diodes' emitters are at different distances from at least one of the second and fourth sides; and (2) optics for directing the laser beams to an output window, the optics comprising: (2a) collimator optics for collimating the laser beams; (2b) a first beam-redirector for directing the collimated beams to travel adjacent to the third side with the beams' slow axes overlying one another in a vertical cross section transverse to the beams; (2c) a second beam-redirector for directing the beams received from the first beam-redirector to travel adjacent to the fourth side; and (2d) focusing optics for converging the beams traveling from the second redirector to the output window; wherein the apparatus comprises: a plurality of laser diode structures, each laser diode structure comprising a discrete semiconductor structure comprising one or more of said laser diodes; a plurality of generally flat, heat-dissipating surface regions for dissipating heat generated by the laser diodes, each laser diode structure being rigidly attached to a corresponding one of the flat, heat dissipating surface regions; wherein each laser diode structure is associated with a portion of the collimator optics and the first beam-redirector for collimating and directing the beam or beams emitted by the laser diode structure, the portion being rigidly attached to the corresponding flat, heat-dissipating surface region, wherein the portions are spaced from each other. 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first side is at an angle of 71° to 109° to the second side, the second side is at an angle of 71° to 109° to the third side, the third side is at an angle of 71° to 109° to the fourth side, and the fourth side is at an angle of 71° to 109° to the first side. 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the region is rectangular in top view, with a ratio of lengths of any two adjacent sides being at least 0.7 and at most 1.45. 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the laser diodes and the optics are arranged to keep the beams separate from each other at least between the laser diodes and the first beam-redirector. 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein in a first cross section parallel to the first side and located at an entrance to the first beam-redirector, the beams' slow axes do not overlie one another or, if any slow axes overlie one another, an overlap between such slow axes is smaller than at an exit from the first beam-redirector in a second cross section orthogonal to the third side. 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the output window is an input of an optical fiber. 7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first beam-redirector is for directing the collimated beams to travel adjacent to the third side with the beams' slow axes overlying one another and not lying on a single straight line. 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first beam-redirector is for directing the collimated beams to travel adjacent to the third side with the beams' slow axes overlying one another and parallel to each other in the vertical cross section transverse to the beams. 9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the collimator optics and the first beam redirector are for directing the beams not to overlap when travelling adjacent to the third side. 10. A method for manufacturing the apparatus of claim 1, the method comprising mounting, in said region, the laser diodes and the optics for directing the laser beams. 11. An apparatus comprising: (1) a plurality of laser diodes arranged to emit laser beams whose optical axes do not overlie each other; (2) optics for directing the laser beams to an output window, the optics comprising: (2a) collimator optics for providing a plurality of collimated beams, each collimated beam being produced by collimating a corresponding beam emitted by the laser diodes; (2b) a first beam-redirector for turning each collimated beam in a direction positioned in top view at an angle of 71° to 109° to the optical axis of the corresponding beam emitted by the laser diodes, and for positioning the beams' slow axes to overlie one another in a vertical cross section transverse to the beams; (2c) a second beam-redirector for turning the beams received from the first beam-redirector, wherein in top view the beams entering the second beam-redirector form an angle or angles of 71° to 109° to the beams emerging from the second beam-redirector; and (2d) focusing optics for converging the beams traveling from the second redirector to the output window; wherein the apparatus comprises: a plurality of laser diode structures, each laser diode structure comprising a discrete semiconductor structure comprising one or more of said laser diodes; a plurality of generally flat, heat-dissipating surface regions for dissipating heat generated by the laser diodes, each laser diode structure being rigidly attached to a corresponding one of the flat, heat dissipating surface regions; wherein each laser diode structure is associated with a portion of the collimator optics and the first beam-redirector for collimating and directing the beam or beams emitted by the laser diode structure, the portion being rigidly attached to the corresponding flat, heat-dissipating surface region, wherein the portions are spaced from each other. 12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein in top view, for each said beam, the beam's path to the first redirector, the beam's path from the first redirector to the second redirector, and the beam's path between the second redirector and the output window are arranged on three sides of a rectangle, and in the largest of said rectangles, a ratio of lengths of any two adjacent sides is at least 0.7 and at most 1.45. 13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the laser diodes and the optics are arranged to keep the beams separate from each other at least between the laser diodes and the first beam-redirector. 14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein in a first vertical cross section transverse to the beams and located at an entrance to the first beam-redirector, the beams' slow axes do not overlie one another or, if any slow axes overlie one another, an overlap between such slow axes is smaller than in a second cross section orthogonal to the beams exiting the first beam-redirector. 15. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the output window is an input of an optical fiber. 16. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the first beam-redirector and the second beam redirector are for turning each collimated beam in a direction positioned in top view at a combined angle of 71°+71°=142° to 109°+109°=218° relative to the optical axis of the corresponding beam emitted by the diodes. 17. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the collimator optics and the first beam redirector are for directing the beams not to overlap at least until entering the second beam-redirector. 18. A method for manufacturing the apparatus of claim 11, the method comprising: arranging the laser diodes to emit laser beams whose optical axes do not overlie each other; and arranging the optics for directing the laser beams to provide the collimated beams, to turn each collimated beam by the first beam-redirector, to turn the beams received from the first beam-redirector by the second beam-redirector, and to converge the beams travelling from the second redirector by the focusing optics. 19. An apparatus comprising: a plurality of laser diode structures, each laser diode structure comprising a discrete semiconductor structure comprising one or more laser diodes; a thermally dissipative body comprising a plurality of generally flat, heat-dissipating surface regions for dissipating heat generated by the laser diodes, each laser diode structure being rigidly attached to a corresponding one of the flat, heat-dissipating surface regions; for each said laser diode structure, one or more collimators for collimating one or more laser beams emitted by the one or more diodes of the laser diode structure, and a turning mirror for turning the one or more collimated laser beams, the turning mirrors being for positioning the beams with their slow axes overlying each other to form a combined beam directed at an angle or angles of 71° to 109° with respect to the individual laser beams emerging from the laser diodes when viewed from the top, wherein for each laser diode structure, its one or more collimators and turning mirror are rigidly attached to the corresponding flat, heat-dissipating surface region, the thermally dissipative body being for increasing temperature uniformity across each heat-dissipating surface region to increase thermal stability of alignment between the corresponding laser diode structure and the respective one or more collimators and turning mirror. 20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein at least two of the flat, heat-dissipating surfaces are parallel to each other and do not lie in a single plane. 21. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein at least two of the flat, heat-dissipating surfaces are not parallel to each other and do not lie in a single plane. 22. A method for manufacturing the apparatus of claim 19, the method comprising rigidly attaching the laser diode structures and the collimators to the flat, heat-dissipating surfaces. 23. The apparatus of claim 19 in combination with a cold plate mounted in thermal communication with the flat, heat-dissipating surface regions; wherein the laser diodes, the collimators and the turning mirrors overlie the flat, heat-dissipating surface regions; wherein the cold plate underlies the flat, heat-dissipating surface regions. 24. The apparatus of claim 19 in combination with a cold plate mounted in thermal communication with the flat, heat-dissipating surface regions; wherein the flat, heat-dissipating surface regions extend over and along the cold plate; wherein the laser diodes, the collimators and the turning mirrors overlie the flat, heat-dissipating surface regions. 25. A method for providing light to an output window, the method comprising: generating laser light with a plurality of laser diode structures, each laser diode structure comprising a discrete semiconductor structure comprising one or more laser diodes emitting one or more laser beams, each laser diode structure being rigidly attached to a corresponding one of flat, heat-dissipating surface regions; collimating the individual laser beams, wherein each said laser diode structure corresponds to one or more collimators which collimate the one or more laser beams emitted by the one or more diodes of the laser diode structure, the one or more collimators being rigidly attached to the flat, heat-dissipating surface region corresponding to the laser diode structure; redirecting the collimated individual laser beams by beam-redirectors to form a combined beam in which the individual laser beams' slow axes overlie one another, and directing the combined beam at an angle or angles of 71° to 109° with respect to the individual laser beams emerging from the laser diodes when viewed from the top, wherein for each said laser diode structure, the one or more collimated individual laser beams collimated by the corresponding one or more collimators are redirected by one or more redirectors rigidly attached to the corresponding flat, heat-dissipating surface; wherein the flat, heat-dissipating surface regions are cooled by a cold plate extending underneath the flat, heat-dissipating surface regions, wherein the laser diode structures, the collimators and the reflectors overlie the corresponding flat, heat-dissipating surface regions. 26. An apparatus comprising: a plurality of laser diode structures, each laser diode structure comprising a discrete semiconductor structure comprising one or more laser diodes; a plurality of generally fiat, heat-dissipating surface regions for dissipating heat generated by the laser diodes, each laser diode structure being rigidly attached to a corresponding one of the flat, heat-dissipating surface regions; for each said laser diode structure, one or more collimators for collimating one or more laser beams emitted by the one or more diodes of the laser diode structure, and a turning mirror for turning the one or more collimated laser beams, the turning mirrors being for positioning the beams with their slow axes overlying each other, wherein for each laser diode structure, its one or more collimators and turning mirror are rigidly attached to the corresponding fiat, heat-dissipating surface region; wherein the apparatus is attachable to a cold plate mountable to be in thermal communication with the flat, heat-dissipating surface regions; wherein the flat, heat-dissipating surface regions extend over and along the cold plate; wherein the laser diodes, the collimators and the turning mirrors overlie the flat, heat-dissipating surface regions.