Independently replaceable spatially combined semiconductor laser array

Abstract

The application discloses an independently replaceable space beam combining semiconductor laser array, which is used for solving the problems of high maintenance cost, high power loss and low space beam combining efficiency of a traditional semiconductor laser bar. The application comprises a carrier, N semiconductor lasers and N sets of beam shaping components which are arranged side by side and independently installed on the carrier. Each semiconductor laser comprises a positive electrode sheet, a semiconductor laser bar, a negative electrode sheet and an insulating pressing sheet which are connected in sequence from bottom to top. The positive electrode sheet is connected in series with the negative electrode sheet in the adjacent semiconductor laser. The light emitting end of each semiconductor laser bar is directed to the corresponding beam shaping component. The connecting end of each positive electrode sheet and negative electrode sheet is located at the back light end of the corresponding semiconductor laser bar. Each set of beam shaping components comprises a fast-axis collimator, a slow-axis collimator and a light path turning piece which are arranged in sequence along the light path. All the light path turning pieces are arranged in parallel, so that the space beam combining of the outgoing light of the semiconductor laser bar in the fast-axis direction is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to semiconductor lasers, and more particularly to an independently replaceable spatial beam-combining semiconductor laser array. Background Technology

[0002] Semiconductor lasers, with their advantages of high electro-optical conversion efficiency, small size, light weight, long lifespan, and direct modulation, have become core light sources in industrial processing, laser communication, medical aesthetics, and as pump sources for fiber lasers and solid-state lasers. With the rapid development of related application technologies, the market has placed more stringent demands on the performance of semiconductor lasers, pursuing not only higher output power, efficiency, and brightness, but also increasing emphasis on reliability. Adopting a semiconductor laser bar structure (composed of multiple semiconductor laser tubes connected in parallel) is an effective way to improve the output power of semiconductor laser sources. Further power increases require spatial beam combining of multiple semiconductor laser bars.

[0003] Existing semiconductor laser bars typically employ a spatial beam-combining method by vertically stacking them along the fast axis, with the lower surface as the positive electrode and the upper surface as the negative electrode. The bars are connected in series via direct contact. However, if one bar fails, a significant resistance will form at that location, easily causing adjacent bars to fail as well. Furthermore, due to the direct contact method of vertical stacking, the entire failed bar needs to be dismantled for replacement, greatly increasing maintenance costs.

[0004] Furthermore, the physical thickness of a semiconductor laser bar after packaging is typically much larger than its output spot size. Therefore, the output spot from the stacked array is prone to generating numerous dead zones, resulting in low output brightness. To improve the output brightness of a semiconductor laser bar and reduce dead zones, beam shaping systems such as combinations of stripe mirrors and reflectors, or stepstracer prisms and right-angle prisms, are generally used to fill these dead zones. After fast-axis collimation, the longitudinal dimension of a traditional semiconductor laser bar is typically approximately 0.72 mm, and the divergence angle is approximately 2.5 mrad. Therefore, the beam shaping system needs to simultaneously align multiple sub-mm-sized spots, increasing the alignment difficulty. Simultaneously, stress may be introduced during the packaging process of the semiconductor laser bar, causing a Smile effect. Due to structural limitations, the fixed semiconductor laser bar stack cannot be adjusted, further increasing alignment difficulty, generating higher power losses, and significantly reducing spatial beam combining efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an independently replaceable spatial beam-combining semiconductor laser array to solve the technical problems of high maintenance cost, high power loss, and low spatial beam-combining efficiency of traditional semiconductor laser bars.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution provided by this invention is as follows:

[0007] A spatially combined semiconductor laser array that can be independently replaced, characterized by:

[0008] It includes a carrier, N semiconductor lasers mounted side-by-side and independently on the carrier, and N sets of beam shaping components corresponding to the N semiconductor lasers, where N≥2;

[0009] The N semiconductor lasers have identical structures. Each semiconductor laser includes a positive electrode, a semiconductor laser bar, a negative electrode, and an insulating plate connected sequentially from bottom to top. The positive electrode is mounted on a carrier and connected in series with the negative electrode in the adjacent semiconductor laser. In the two semiconductor lasers located at the outermost edges, the positive electrode in one semiconductor laser, which is not connected to the negative electrode in the adjacent semiconductor laser, is used to connect to the positive terminal of an external power supply, while the negative electrode in the other semiconductor laser, which is not connected to the positive electrode in the adjacent semiconductor laser, is used to connect to the negative terminal of an external power supply. The light-emitting ends of the semiconductor laser bars in the N semiconductor lasers all face the same direction and are all directed towards the corresponding beam shaping component. The connection ends of each positive and negative electrode are located at the back end of the corresponding semiconductor laser bar.

[0010] Each beam shaping assembly includes a fast-axis collimator, a slow-axis collimator, and an optical path deflector mounted on a carrier and arranged sequentially along the optical path, wherein the fast-axis collimator is close to the light-emitting end of the corresponding semiconductor laser bar; the optical path deflectors in the N beam shaping assemblies are arranged in parallel to achieve spatial beam combining of the emitted light from the N semiconductor laser bars in the fast-axis direction.

[0011] Furthermore, the upper surface of the carrier has an N-level stepped structure, and each step surface has a recessed groove that passes through the end of the groove. Bolts are used to pass through the insulating pressure plate, the negative electrode plate, the semiconductor laser bar and the positive electrode plate in sequence and then connect to the threaded holes in the recessed groove to realize the installation of the semiconductor laser.

[0012] Furthermore, the positive electrode, semiconductor laser bar, and negative electrode are all elongated structures, and their widths are consistent with the width of the recessed groove; the positive electrode and negative electrode have the same length and are greater than the length of the semiconductor laser bar; one end of the positive electrode and negative electrode in the length direction is flush with the light-emitting end of the semiconductor laser bar, and the other end extends out of the recessed groove, and the positive electrode is connected in series with the negative electrode in the adjacent semiconductor laser through a conductive connector;

[0013] The insulating pressure plate is an inverted U-shaped structure. The internal width of its open end is equal to the width of the sinking groove, and together with the sinking groove, they form a semi-enclosed space to accommodate the corresponding positive electrode, semiconductor laser bar, and negative electrode.

[0014] Furthermore, in the two semiconductor lasers located at the outermost edges on both sides, the ends of the positive and negative electrodes, which are connected to the external power supply, are respectively equipped with pins.

[0015] Furthermore, the semiconductor laser bar is a cm-bar, a mini-bar, or a T-bar.

[0016] Furthermore, the optical path deflector is a 45º reflector or a beam splitter.

[0017] Furthermore, the carrier is a conductive heat dissipation carrier or a water-cooled heat dissipation carrier.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0019] 1. The present invention provides an independently replaceable spatial beam combining semiconductor laser array, comprising a carrier, N semiconductor lasers mounted side-by-side and independently on the carrier, and N sets of beam shaping components corresponding to the N semiconductor lasers. The N semiconductor lasers are independently mounted and connected in series with each other, and there is physical isolation between adjacent semiconductor lasers. When any semiconductor laser fails, it does not affect the others and can be quickly located and replaced. The present invention not only eliminates the cascading failure phenomenon, but also reduces maintenance costs.

[0020] 2. In the independently replaceable spatial beam combining semiconductor laser array provided by the present invention, the upper surface of the carrier (i.e. the mounting surface of the semiconductor laser) is designed as an N-level stepped structure. This stepped structure, combined with the parallel optical path deflectors in the N sets of beam shaping components, can effectively reduce the emission dead zone in the fast axis direction, reduce the power loss of the beam shaping system, and improve the spatial beam combining efficiency.

[0021] 3. In the spatially combinable semiconductor laser array provided by the present invention, each semiconductor laser is completely independent and can be individually positioned, thus having a high degree of freedom.

[0022] 4. In the spatially replaceable semiconductor laser array provided by the present invention, two adjacent semiconductor lasers are connected in series from the outside through conductive connectors, and two semiconductor lasers located at the outermost edges on both sides are connected to an external power supply through pins. This connection method uses conductive connectors and pins to lead out the electrodes, which changes the traditional internal connection method, improves the convenience of disassembling and assembling semiconductor lasers, and thus improves the efficiency of disassembly, assembly and replacement.

[0023] 5. In the independently replaceable spatial beam-combining semiconductor laser array provided by the present invention, the carrier can be a conductive heat dissipation carrier or a water-cooled heat dissipation carrier. Different support and heat dissipation methods can be selected for different types of semiconductor laser bars, making it more widely applicable. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a partial exploded view of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the semiconductor laser structure in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the vehicle in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] The annotations in the attached figures are explained as follows:

[0029] 1-Carrier, 11-Submerged tank, 2-Semiconductor laser, 21-Positive electrode, 22-Semiconductor laser bar, 23-Negative electrode, 24-Insulating pressure plate, 3-Fast axis collimator, 4-Slow axis collimator, 5-Optical path bend, 6-Conductive connector, 7-Pin. Detailed Implementation

[0030] To make the objectives, advantages, and features of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art should understand that these embodiments are merely used to explain the technical principles of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides an independently replaceable spatial beam-combining semiconductor laser array, including a carrier 1, N semiconductor lasers 2 mounted side-by-side and independently on the carrier 1, and N sets of beam shaping components corresponding to the N semiconductor lasers 2, where N≥2. In this embodiment, each semiconductor laser 2 is independently mounted to achieve physical isolation between semiconductor laser bars. If any semiconductor laser bar fails, it will not affect adjacent semiconductor laser bars and can be quickly located and replaced.

[0032] Combination Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3As shown, this embodiment uses five semiconductor lasers 2 as an example for specific explanation, corresponding to five sets of beam shaping components. The five semiconductor lasers 2 have identical structures, and each semiconductor laser 2 includes a positive electrode 21, a semiconductor laser bar 22, a negative electrode 23, and an insulating pressure plate 24 connected sequentially from bottom to top. The positive electrode 21 is mounted on the carrier 1 and connected in series with the negative electrode 23 in the adjacent semiconductor laser 2. In the two semiconductor lasers located at the outermost edges, the positive electrode 21 in one semiconductor laser 2 that is not connected to the negative electrode 23 in the adjacent semiconductor laser 2 is connected to the positive terminal of an external power supply via a pin 7, while the negative electrode 23 in the other semiconductor laser 2 that is not connected to the positive electrode 21 in the adjacent semiconductor laser 2 is connected to the negative terminal of an external power supply via a pin 7. In the five semiconductor lasers 2, the light-emitting ends of the semiconductor laser bars 22 all face the same direction and are all directed toward the corresponding beam shaping components; the connection ends of each positive electrode 21 and negative electrode 23 are located at the back light end of the corresponding semiconductor laser bar 22. In this embodiment, the semiconductor laser bar 22 is a cm-bar, a mini-bar, or a T-bar.

[0033] Each beam shaping assembly includes a fast-axis collimator 3, a slow-axis collimator 4, and an optical path deflector 5, all mounted on a carrier 1 and arranged sequentially along the optical path. The fast-axis collimator 3 is located near the light-emitting end of the corresponding semiconductor laser bar 22. The fast-axis collimator 3 is mounted along the fast axis of the laser diode in the semiconductor laser bar 22 to compress the fast-axis beam with a large divergence angle. The slow-axis collimator 4 is mounted along the slow axis of the laser diode in the semiconductor laser bar 22 to collimate the slow-axis beam with a small divergence angle. The fast-axis collimator 3 and the slow-axis collimator 4 are perpendicular to each other, corresponding to the two orthogonal emission dimensions of the laser diode, respectively.

[0034] In some embodiments, both the fast-axis collimator 3 and the slow-axis collimator 4 can be installed at the light-emitting end of the corresponding semiconductor laser bar 22, with the specific installation orientation as above.

[0035] The optical path deflectors 5 in the five beam shaping assemblies are arranged in parallel to achieve spatial beam combining of the emitted light from the five semiconductor laser bars 22 in the fast axis direction. In this embodiment, the optical path deflector 5 is a 45º mirror or a beam splitter prism, or other optical deflection elements may be selected.

[0036] like Figure 4As shown, the upper surface of the carrier 1 has an N-level stepped structure, and the height difference between adjacent steps can be freely set according to different spatial beam combining brightness requirements, enabling spatial beam combining without light-emitting dead zones in the fast axis direction, thereby reducing the power loss of the beam shaping system and improving the spatial beam combining efficiency. The carrier 1 in this embodiment can be a conductive heat dissipation carrier or a water-cooled heat dissipation carrier; of course, other types of carrier 1 can also be selected according to actual needs.

[0037] Each step surface of the carrier 1 is mainly divided into two areas. One area is used to install the semiconductor laser 2, and a recessed groove 11 is designed according to the packaging structure dimensions of the semiconductor laser bar. The other area is the mounting position for the optical path bending component 5. Specifically, each step surface has a recessed groove 11 extending through that end at one end, and an optical path bending component 5 mounting groove at the other end. The recessed groove 11 has the same length and width dimensions as the semiconductor laser bar 22. During installation, the positive electrode 21 is first placed into the recessed groove 11, followed by the semiconductor laser bar 22, the negative electrode 23, and the insulating pressure plate 24 in sequence. Finally, bolts are used to pass through the insulating pressure plate 24, the negative electrode 23, the semiconductor laser bar 22, and the positive electrode 21 in sequence and connect to the threaded holes in the recessed groove 11, thereby realizing the installation of the semiconductor laser 2.

[0038] like Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, the positive electrode 21, semiconductor laser bar 22, and negative electrode 23 are all elongated structures, and their widths are consistent with the width of the recessed groove 11. The positive electrode 21 and negative electrode 23 have the same length and are longer than the semiconductor laser bar 22; one end of the positive electrode 21 and negative electrode 23 along their length is flush with the light-emitting end of the semiconductor laser bar 22, and the other end extends out of the recessed groove 11. The other end of the positive electrode 21 extending out of the recessed groove 11 and the other end of the negative electrode 23 in the adjacent semiconductor laser 2 are connected in series through conductive connectors 6. In this embodiment, conductive connectors 6 and pins 7 are used to lead out the electrodes, thereby achieving a series electrical connection between two adjacent semiconductor laser bars 22 outside the semiconductor laser bar 22. This design can eliminate the cascading failure phenomenon of the semiconductor laser bars 22, and each semiconductor laser bar 22 can be replaced independently, thereby reducing maintenance costs.

[0039] The insulating pressure plate 24 is an inverted U-shaped structure. The inner width of its open end is equal to the width of the recessed groove 11, and together with the recessed groove 11, they form a semi-enclosed space to accommodate the corresponding positive electrode plate 21, semiconductor laser bar 22, and negative electrode plate 23.

[0040] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein, and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

1. A space-combining semiconductor laser array that can be independently replaced, characterized in that: It includes a carrier (1), N semiconductor lasers (2) mounted side by side and independently on the carrier (1), and N sets of beam shaping components corresponding to the N semiconductor lasers (2), where N≥2; N semiconductor lasers (2) have the same structure. Each semiconductor laser (2) includes a positive electrode (21), a semiconductor laser bar (22), a negative electrode (23), and an insulating plate (24) connected in sequence from bottom to top. The positive electrode (21) is mounted on a carrier (1) and connected in series with the negative electrode (23) of the adjacent semiconductor laser (2). Among the two semiconductor lasers (2) located at the outermost edges on both sides, one of the semiconductor lasers (2) is not connected to the negative electrode of the adjacent semiconductor laser (2). The positive electrode (21) connected to the plate (23) is used to connect to the positive terminal of the external power supply, while the negative electrode (23) in another semiconductor laser (2) that is not connected to the positive electrode (21) in the adjacent semiconductor laser (2) is used to connect to the negative terminal of the external power supply; the light-emitting ends of the semiconductor laser bars (22) in the N semiconductor lasers (2) are aligned and all face the corresponding beam shaping components; the connection ends of each positive electrode (21) and negative electrode (23) are located at the back end of the corresponding semiconductor laser bar (22); Each beam shaping assembly includes a fast-axis collimator (3), a slow-axis collimator (4), and an optical path deflector (5) mounted on a carrier (1) and arranged sequentially along the optical path. The fast-axis collimator (3) is close to the light-emitting end of the corresponding semiconductor laser bar (22). The optical path deflectors (5) in the N beam shaping assemblies are arranged in parallel to achieve spatial beam combining of the emitted light from the N semiconductor laser bars (22) in the fast-axis direction.

2. The independently replaceable spatial beam-combining semiconductor laser array according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper surface of the carrier (1) is an N-level stepped structure, and each step surface has a recessed groove (11) that passes through the end of the step. Bolts are used to pass through the insulating pressure plate (24), negative electrode plate (23), semiconductor laser bar (22) and positive electrode plate (21) in sequence and then connect to the threaded hole in the recessed groove (11) to realize the installation of semiconductor laser (2).

3. The independently replaceable spatial beam-combining semiconductor laser array according to claim 2, characterized in that: The positive electrode (21), semiconductor laser bar (22), and negative electrode (23) are all elongated structures, and their widths are consistent with the width of the recessed groove (11). The positive electrode (21) and negative electrode (23) have the same length and are longer than the length of the semiconductor laser bar (22). One end of the positive electrode (21) and negative electrode (23) in the length direction is flush with the light-emitting end of the semiconductor laser bar (22), and the other end extends out of the recessed groove (11). The positive electrode (21) and the negative electrode (23) in the adjacent semiconductor laser (2) are connected in series through a conductive connector (6). The insulating pressure plate (24) is an inverted U-shaped structure. The internal width of its open end is equal to the width of the sinking groove (11), and together with the sinking groove (11), they form a semi-enclosed space to accommodate the corresponding positive electrode plate (21), semiconductor laser bar (22), and negative electrode plate (23).

4. The independently replaceable spatial beam-combining semiconductor laser array according to claim 3, characterized in that: In the two semiconductor lasers (2) located at the outermost edges on both sides, the ends of the positive electrode (21) and negative electrode (23) connected to the external power supply are respectively equipped with pins (7).

5. The independently replaceable spatial beam-combining semiconductor laser array according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The semiconductor laser bar (22) is a cm-bar, a Mini-bar, or a T-bar.

6. The independently replaceable spatial beam-combining semiconductor laser array according to claim 5, characterized in that: The optical path conversion element (5) is a 45º reflector or a beam splitter.

7. The independently replaceable spatial beam-combining semiconductor laser array according to claim 1, characterized in that: The carrier (1) is a conductive heat dissipation carrier or a water-cooled heat dissipation carrier.

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