Addressable semiconductor laser array

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor lasers, and particularly provides an addressable semiconductor laser array, which comprises M # imgabs0 # N laser units, a plurality of anodes and a plurality of cathodes, the M # imgabs1 # N laser units are arranged in an array mode according to M # imgabs2 # N. For each anode in the multiple anodes, the laser units located in different rows and columns can be connected in series through the anodes to form inclined columns, the multiple anodes are connected in series to form multiple mutually-spaced inclined columns, and for each cathode in the multiple cathodes, the laser units in the same column are connected in series through the cathodes to form multiple mutually-spaced inclined columns. And all the cathodes are connected in parallel. According to the addressable semiconductor laser array, the lasers located in different rows and different columns are connected in series through the anodes, each laser unit can be controlled to emit light independently, any specific adjacent three laser units can emit light at the same time, then the addressable semiconductor laser array can emit light in various modes, and the application range of the addressable semiconductor laser array is widened.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor lasers, and in particular provides an addressable semiconductor laser array. Background Art

[0002] Semiconductor lasers that emit perpendicular to the cavity surface (such as photonic crystal surface emitting lasers and vertical cavity surface emitting lasers) emit light beams perpendicular to the basic surface. They have many advantages such as low threshold current, circular spot, high modulation bandwidth, single longitudinal mode lasing, easy realization of high-density two-dimensional arrays, and low production cost, and are widely used in many fields.

[0003] In recent years, semiconductor lasers that emit perpendicular to the cavity surface have been widely used in laser radar. In particular, the use of semiconductor laser array addressing technology to achieve laser scanning does not require the use of any rotating parts. Compared with mechanical laser radars that achieve laser scanning through rotating parts, it can avoid the influence of the stability (for example, structural stability, rotation accuracy stability) and reliability of rotating parts during operation on the accuracy of scanning results. It can also simplify the production process and reduce production costs. However, there are still some problems with the current semiconductor laser array addressable technology. For example, a 2D addressable semiconductor laser array cannot achieve simultaneous emission of three specific adjacent laser units.

[0004] refer to Figure 1 The 2D addressable VCSEL structure diagram of the prior art, the 2D addressable VCSEL100 has 5 5 VCSEL10, any 2 2 array contains 4 VCSEL10s A, B, C, and D. The VCSEL10s in each row share an anode, such as: all VCSEL10s in row AB share anode 112. The VCSEL10s in each column share a cathode, such as: all VCSEL10s in column AC share cathode 122. All anodes 111 to 115 are connected in parallel, and all cathodes 121 to 125 are connected in parallel. When controlling any VCSEL10 to emit light, it is only necessary to load power to the anode and cathode corresponding to the VCSEL10, such as: when power is applied to anode 112 alone and cathode 122 alone, only A emits light. However, this structure cannot realize any 2 2 Any three VCSELs 10 in the array emit light at the same time, while another VCSEL 10 does not emit light. For example, when A, B, and C lasers emit light at the same time, D does not emit light. The 2D addressable VCSEL structure diagram of the prior art cannot achieve simultaneous light emission of three specific adjacent laser units. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an addressable semiconductor laser array, which can make the addressable semiconductor laser array emit light in a variety of styles, thereby increasing the application range of the addressable semiconductor laser array.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an addressable semiconductor laser array, comprising: N laser units, a plurality of anodes and a plurality of cathodes; The M N laser units are M N is arranged in an array, M is a row, and N is a column, wherein both M and N are positive integers greater than or equal to 2; For each of the plurality of anodes, the anode connects the laser units located in different rows and columns in series to form an inclined column, and the series connection of the plurality of anodes forms a plurality of mutually spaced inclined columns; For each of the plurality of cathodes, the cathode connects the laser units in the same column in series.

[0007] As a preferred solution, the laser unit is a single or multiple semiconductor lasers.

[0008] As a preferred solution, the anode is electrically connected to the P-type contact electrode of the semiconductor laser, and the cathode is electrically connected to the N-type contact electrode of the semiconductor laser.

[0009] As a preferred solution, the semiconductor laser is a semiconductor laser perpendicular to the cavity surface.

[0010] As a preferred solution, the semiconductor laser perpendicular to the cavity surface is a photonic crystal surface emitting laser.

[0011] As a preferred solution, the vertical-to-cavity-surface semiconductor laser is a vertical-to-cavity-surface emitting laser.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the present invention can achieve the following beneficial effects: An addressable semiconductor laser array is provided in an embodiment of the present invention, comprising: N laser units, multiple anodes and multiple cathodes; M N laser units are M N is arranged in an array, M is a row, and N is a column, wherein M and N are both positive integers greater than or equal to 2; for each of the multiple anodes, the anode can connect the laser units located in different rows and columns in series to form an inclined column, and the series connection of multiple anodes forms multiple mutually spaced inclined columns, and adjacent inclined columns can be directly arranged in parallel, and all anodes are connected in parallel; for each of the multiple cathodes, the cathode can connect the laser units in the same column in series, and all cathodes are connected in parallel. By using anodes to connect the lasers located in different rows and columns in series, each laser unit can be controlled to emit light individually, and any specific three adjacent laser units can be made to emit light simultaneously, thereby making the addressable semiconductor laser array emit light in a variety of styles, thereby increasing the application range of the addressable semiconductor laser array. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a 2D addressable VCSEL structure in the prior art; Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of embodiment 1 of an addressable semiconductor laser array provided according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a semiconductor laser structure in an addressable semiconductor laser array provided according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a first control circuit in Example 1 of an addressable semiconductor laser array provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a second control circuit of Example 1 in an addressable semiconductor laser array provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a third control circuit of Example 1 in an addressable semiconductor laser array provided according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a fourth control circuit of Example 1 in an addressable semiconductor laser array provided according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 1 is a schematic structural diagram of Example 2 of an addressable semiconductor laser array provided according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Reference numerals include: Laser unit 20, first anode 211, second anode 212, third anode 213, fourth anode 214, fifth anode 215, sixth anode 216, seventh anode 217, eighth anode 218, ninth anode 219, tenth anode 220, eleventh anode 221, twelfth anode 222, thirteenth anode 223, first cathode 231, second cathode 232, third cathode 234, fourth cathode 235, first inclined anode 311, second inclined anode 312, third inclined anode 313, fourth inclined anode 314, fifth inclined anode 315, sixth inclined anode 316, seventh inclined anode 317, all inclined anodes 311 to 317 are connected in parallel, first vertical cathode 321, second vertical cathode 322, third vertical cathode 323, fourth vertical cathode 324, fifth vertical cathode 325. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same modules are represented by the same reference numerals. In the case of the same reference numerals, their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, the detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

[0016] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and do not constitute a limitation of the present invention.

[0017] Combination Figure 2 As shown, an addressable semiconductor laser array is provided in an embodiment of the present invention, comprising: N laser units 20, a plurality of anodes and a plurality of cathodes; M N laser units 20 M N is arranged in an array, M is a row, and N is a column, where M and N are both positive integers greater than or equal to 2; For each of the multiple anodes, the anode can connect the laser units 20 located in different rows and columns in series to form an inclined column. Specifically, each anode can connect the laser units 20 in each row with a difference of 1 or more positions in series. The series connection of multiple anodes forms multiple mutually spaced inclined columns. Adjacent inclined columns can be directly arranged in parallel, and all anodes are connected in parallel. For each of the plurality of cathodes, the cathode can connect the laser units 20 in the same column in series, and all the cathodes can be connected in parallel.

[0018] The laser unit 20 here can be a single semiconductor laser, or a combination of multiple semiconductor lasers can be used. Ordinary technicians in this field can choose according to needs, and there is no limitation to this.

[0019] In some embodiments, the anode may be electrically connected to a P-type contact electrode of the semiconductor laser, and the cathode may be electrically connected to an N-type contact electrode of the semiconductor laser.

[0020] In some embodiments, the semiconductor laser may be a perpendicular-to-cavity-surface semiconductor laser, and the perpendicular-to-cavity-surface semiconductor laser may be a photonic crystal surface emitting laser or a perpendicular-to-cavity-surface emitting laser. Ordinary technicians in this field may select as needed and there is no limitation on this.

[0021] Example 1 Combination Figure 2 As shown, an addressable semiconductor laser array is provided in an embodiment of the present invention, comprising: 5 5 laser units 20, 13 anodes and 5 cathodes, the laser unit 20 is a single semiconductor laser, specifically, 5 5 laser units 20 to 5 5 are arranged in an array, the 13 anodes are respectively a first anode 211, a second anode 212, a third anode 213, a fourth anode 214, a fifth anode 215, a sixth anode 216, a seventh anode 217, an eighth anode 218, a ninth anode 219, a tenth anode 220, an eleventh anode 221, a twelfth anode 222, and a thirteenth anode 223, all of which are connected in parallel, the five cathodes are respectively a first cathode 231, a second cathode 232, a third cathode 234, and a fourth cathode 235, all of which are connected in parallel, wherein, for the convenience of explanation, four light-emitting points A, B, C, and D are defined, that is, corresponding to the laser units 20 that need to emit light, and A, B, C, and D are any two 2 laser units 20 in the array, it can be understood that the structure of each laser unit 20 is the same, all laser units 20 in each inclined column share one anode, such as: all laser units 20 in the inclined column where A is located share the sixth anode 216, all laser units 20 in each column share one cathode, for example, all laser units 20 in the column where AC is located share the second cathode 232, all anodes 211 to 223 are connected in parallel, all cathodes 231 to 235 are connected in parallel, and each anode connects the laser units 20 with a difference of 2 positions in each row in series, which can be referred to Figure 2 In the xy coordinate axis, (x, y) can be used to represent the coordinate of the laser unit 20. The fifth anode 215 connects the laser unit 20 located at (1, 5), the laser unit 20 located at (3, 4) and the laser unit 20 located at (5, 3) in series. Because all anodes are connected in parallel and all cathodes are connected in parallel, power is applied to one anode and one cathode separately, and the laser unit 20 located at the intersection of the anode and the cathode emits light separately.

[0022] Combination Figure 3As shown, when the laser unit 20 is a single perpendicular-to-cavity surface emitting laser, the structure of each laser unit 20 is, from top to bottom: a P-type contact electrode 1, a P-type distributed Bragg reflector DBR2, a current limiting layer 3, an active region multi-quantum well 4, an N-type distributed Bragg reflector DBR5, a substrate 6, and an N-type contact electrode 7. The anode is connected to the P-type contact electrode 1 of the semiconductor laser, and the cathode is connected to the P-type contact electrode 5 of the semiconductor laser.

[0023] First control circuit of embodiment 1 Combination Figure 4 As shown, in an embodiment of the present invention, a first control circuit diagram of an addressable semiconductor laser array is provided, power is applied to the inclined anode fifth anode 215, seventh anode 217, and eighth anode 218 respectively, and power is applied to the second cathode 232 and third cathode 233 respectively, the laser unit at B is located at the intersection of the fifth anode 215 and the third cathode 233, the current of the laser unit at B is turned on, and the laser unit at B emits light; the laser unit at C is located at the intersection of the inclined eighth anode 218 and the second cathode 232, the current of the laser unit at C is turned on, and the laser unit at C emits light; the laser unit at D is located at the intersection of the inclined seventh anode 217 and the third cathode 233, the current of the laser unit at D is turned on, and the laser unit at D emits light, and the laser unit at A has no turned-on current, so the laser unit at A does not emit light.

[0024] Second control circuit of embodiment 1 Combination Figure 5 As shown, a second control circuit diagram of an addressable semiconductor laser array is provided in an embodiment of the present invention, power is applied to the tilted sixth anode 216, the seventh anode 217, and the eighth anode 218, respectively, and power is applied to the second cathode 232 and the third cathode 233, respectively, the current of the laser unit at A, the laser unit at C, and the laser unit at D is conducted, while the current of the laser unit at B is not conducted, so the laser unit at A, the laser unit at C, and the laser unit at D emit light at the same time, while the laser unit at B does not emit light.

[0025] The third control circuit of embodiment 1 Combination Figure 6 As shown, a third control circuit diagram of an addressable semiconductor laser array is provided in an embodiment of the present invention, power is applied to the tilted fifth anode 215, the sixth anode 216, and the seventh anode 217, and power is applied to the second cathode 232 and the third cathode 233, respectively. The current of the laser unit at A, the laser unit at B, and the laser unit at D is conducted, while the current of the laser unit at C is not conducted. Therefore, the laser unit at A, the laser unit at B, and the laser unit at D emit light at the same time, while the laser unit at C does not emit light.

[0026] Fourth control circuit of embodiment 1 Combination Figure 7 As shown, a fourth control circuit diagram of an addressable semiconductor laser array is provided in an embodiment of the present invention, power is applied to the tilted fifth anode 215, the sixth anode 216, and the eighth anode 218, and power is applied to the second cathode 232 and the third cathode 233, respectively. The current of the laser unit at A, the laser unit at B, and the laser unit at C is conducted, while the current of the laser unit at D is not conducted. Therefore, the laser unit at A, the laser unit at B, and the laser unit at C emit light at the same time, while the laser unit at D does not emit light.

[0027] In the four control circuits in Example 1, any two 2 Any three laser units 20 in the array emit light and one laser unit 20 does not emit light.

[0028] Example 2 Combination Figure 8 As shown, an addressable semiconductor laser array is provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Each laser unit 20 may have a plurality of sub-laser units. In this embodiment, M The N laser units 20 may be 3 5 laser units 20, each laser unit 20 has 4 sub-laser units, and the 4 sub-laser units are 2 2 are arranged in an array. Specifically, the sub-laser unit can adopt a single vertical-to-cavity surface emitting laser. One laser unit 20 has 2 The arrangement consists of two single perpendicular-to-cavity surface emitting lasers, referring to Figure 8 In the xy coordinate axis, (x, y) can be used to represent the coordinate of the laser unit 20, (1, 3) is the coordinate of the laser unit 20, each laser unit 20 has 4 sub-laser units, all laser units 20 in each inclined column share a tilted anode, all laser units 20 in each column share a cathode, and the corresponding multiple anodes are a first tilted anode 311, a second tilted anode 312, a third tilted anode 313, a fourth tilted anode 314, a fifth tilted anode 315, a sixth tilted anode 316, and a seventh tilted anode 317, all tilted Anodes 311 to 317 are connected in parallel, and multiple cathodes include a first vertical cathode 321, a second vertical cathode 322, a third vertical cathode 323, a fourth vertical cathode 324, and a fifth vertical cathode 325. All vertical cathodes 321 to 325 are connected in parallel, and each inclined anode connects in series the laser units 20 that differ by one position in each row. This structure can achieve that the laser unit at A, the laser unit at B, and the laser unit at C emit light at the same time, while the laser unit at D does not emit light, and the laser unit at A, the laser unit at C, and the laser unit at D emit light at the same time, while the laser unit at B does not emit light.

[0029] It should be noted that the sub-laser unit can adopt a single perpendicular to the cavity surface emitting laser, and the structure from top to bottom is: P-type contact electrode 1, P-type distributed Bragg reflector DBR2, current limiting layer 3, active area multi-quantum well 4, N-type distributed Bragg reflector DBR5, substrate 6, N-type contact electrode 7, the anode is connected to the P-type contact electrode 1, and the cathode is connected to the P-type contact electrode 5, which will not be repeated here.

[0030] An addressable semiconductor laser array is provided in an embodiment of the present invention, comprising: N laser units, multiple anodes and multiple cathodes; M N laser units are M N is arranged in an array, M is a row, and N is a column, wherein M and N are both positive integers greater than or equal to 2; for each of the multiple anodes, the anode can connect the laser units located in different rows and columns in series to form an inclined column, and the series connection of multiple anodes forms multiple mutually spaced inclined columns, and adjacent inclined columns can be directly arranged in parallel, and all anodes are connected in parallel; for each of the multiple cathodes, the cathode can connect the laser units in the same column in series, and all cathodes are connected in parallel. By using anodes to connect the lasers located in different rows and columns in series, each laser unit can be controlled to emit light individually, and any specific three adjacent laser units can be made to emit light simultaneously, thereby making the addressable semiconductor laser array emit light in a variety of styles, thereby increasing the application range of the addressable semiconductor laser array.

[0031] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art may change, modify, replace and modify the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

[0032] The above specific implementations of the present invention do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present invention. Any other corresponding changes and modifications made based on the technical concept of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An addressable semiconductor laser array, characterized in that: include: M N laser units, a plurality of anodes and a plurality of cathodes; The M N laser units are M N is arranged in an array, M is a row, and N is a column, wherein both M and N are positive integers greater than or equal to 2; For each of the plurality of anodes, the anode connects the laser units located in different rows and columns in series to form an inclined column, and the series connection of the plurality of anodes forms a plurality of mutually spaced inclined columns; For each of the plurality of cathodes, the cathode connects the laser units in the same column in series.

2. The addressable semiconductor laser array according to claim 1, characterized in that: The laser unit is a single or multiple semiconductor lasers.

3. The addressable semiconductor laser array according to claim 2, characterized in that: The anode is electrically connected to the P-type contact electrode of the semiconductor laser, and the cathode is electrically connected to the N-type contact electrode of the semiconductor laser.

4. The addressable semiconductor laser array according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The semiconductor laser is a semiconductor laser perpendicular to the cavity surface.

5. The addressable semiconductor laser array according to claim 4, characterized in that: The semiconductor laser perpendicular to the cavity surface is a photonic crystal surface emitting laser.

6. The addressable semiconductor laser array according to claim 4, characterized in that: The vertical-to-cavity-surface semiconductor laser is a vertical-to-cavity-surface emitting laser.

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