Semiconductor laser and optical module

Abstract

A semiconductor laser and an optical module relate to the technical field of lasers. The semiconductor laser comprises at least two laser chips, a reflecting mirror and a collimating mirror, the reflecting mirror is provided with at least two reflecting surfaces, the reflecting surfaces are in one-to-one correspondence with the laser chips, the reflecting surfaces are arranged on the light-emitting sides of the laser chips, and the collimating mirror is arranged on the light-emitting sides of the reflecting surfaces; a light beam emitted by any laser chip is reflected by the corresponding reflecting surface and then enters the collimating mirror, and the collimating mirror collimates the incident light beam and emits the light beam. According to the semiconductor laser, the number of optical elements can be reduced, the size of the semiconductor laser is reduced, and device miniaturization is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of lasers, and more particularly, to a semiconductor laser and an optical module. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of optoelectronic technology, semiconductor lasers have been widely used in industrial processing, military, medical and other fields due to their small size, light weight, high efficiency, long life and other characteristics. With the expansion of the application fields, the requirements for the volume, weight, efficiency, etc. of lasers are getting higher and higher.

[0003] Semiconductor lasers usually have two light-emitting modes: edge emission and surface emission. However, in some applications, edge-emitting semiconductor lasers need to be used in scenarios where light is emitted vertically. At this time, the packaging method of edge-emitting semiconductor lasers is usually improved to achieve the above function. Currently, the two commonly used packaging methods are: one is to package on a protruding tongue, and the other is to use a mirror to reflect the horizontally emitted laser into the vertical direction. However, for high-power edge-emitting lasers, the protruding tongue is too small, which is not conducive to heat dissipation after packaging, and is also not suitable for integrated packaging of multiple chips; therefore, the mirror scheme is a more commonly used solution. However, the mirror scheme requires a mirror to be configured for each chip. If collimation or focusing is required later, a focusing mirror also needs to be separately configured for each chip, which leads to the problem of too many optical components in the integrated packaging, thus significantly increasing the volume of the semiconductor laser. Summary of the Utility Model

[0004] The purpose of the present utility model is to provide a semiconductor laser and an optical module, which can reduce the number of optical components, reduce the volume of the semiconductor laser, and realize the miniaturization of the device.

[0005] The embodiments of the present disclosure are implemented as follows:

[0006] On the one hand, the present disclosure provides a semiconductor laser, which includes at least two laser chips, a mirror and a collimating lens; the mirror has at least two reflecting surfaces, the reflecting surfaces correspond to the laser chips one by one, the reflecting surfaces are arranged on the light-emitting side of the laser chips, and the collimating lens is arranged on the light-emitting side of the reflecting surfaces; the light beam emitted by any one laser chip is reflected by the corresponding reflecting surface and then incident on the collimating lens, and the collimating lens collimates and emits the incident light beam. This semiconductor laser can reduce the number of optical components, reduce the volume of the semiconductor laser, and realize the miniaturization of the device.

[0007] Optionally, the semiconductor laser further includes at least two heat sinks, the heat sinks correspond to the laser chips one by one, and the laser chips are arranged on the heat sinks.

[0008] Optionally, the heat sink and the laser chip are connected by a metal layer.

[0009] Optionally, the semiconductor laser further includes a base, and the laser chip and the mirror are respectively disposed on the same side of the base.

[0010] Optionally, the semiconductor laser further includes a retaining wall structure, the retaining wall structure is connected to the base, and the retaining wall structure and the base enclose a receiving cavity with an opening, and the laser chip and the mirror are located in the receiving cavity.

[0011] Optionally, the semiconductor laser further includes a transparent window sheet, the transparent window sheet is connected to the retaining wall structure, and the transparent window sheet covers the opening of the receiving cavity.

[0012] Optionally, the collimating mirror is located on the side of the transparent window sheet away from the retaining wall structure.

[0013] Optionally, there are two laser chips, and the two laser chips are symmetrically distributed on opposite sides of the mirror; there are two reflecting surfaces, and the two reflecting surfaces are arranged back to back.

[0014] Optionally, there are multiple laser chips, and the multiple laser chips are arranged around the outer periphery of the mirror; there are multiple reflecting surfaces, and the multiple reflecting surfaces are respectively disposed on the outer peripheral wall of the mirror.

[0015] On the other hand, the present disclosure provides an optical module, and the optical module includes the above-mentioned semiconductor laser.

[0016] The beneficial effects of the present disclosure include:

[0017] The semiconductor laser provided by this application includes at least two laser chips, a reflector, and a collimating mirror; the reflector has at least two reflecting surfaces, and the reflecting surfaces correspond to the laser chips one by one. The reflecting surfaces are arranged on the light-emitting side of the laser chips, and the collimating mirror is arranged on the light-emitting side of the reflecting surfaces; the light beam emitted by any one laser chip is reflected by the corresponding reflecting surface and then incident on the collimating mirror, and the collimating mirror collimates and emits the incident light beam. By providing at least two reflecting surfaces on the reflector in this application, making the reflecting surfaces correspond to the laser chips one by one, and arranging the collimating mirror on the light-emitting side of the reflecting surfaces, in this way, this application can realize the reflection and collimation processing of the light beams emitted by at least two laser chips through one reflector and one collimating mirror. Compared with the prior art where each laser chip is respectively configured with one reflector and one collimating mirror, the reflector and collimating mirror of this application can be shared by multiple laser chips, which can reduce the number of optical elements of the semiconductor laser, reduce the volume of the semiconductor laser, make the optical path structure of the semiconductor laser more compact, and can achieve device miniaturization while achieving the same light-emitting effect; in addition, most of the multiple laser chips in the prior art are arranged in a strip-like arrangement, which also leads to a further increase in the packaging area of the semiconductor laser. However, in this application, since multiple laser chips share the reflector and collimating mirror, the reflector and collimating mirror can be arranged in the middle position of the semiconductor laser, and multiple laser chips can be distributed on the outer periphery of the reflector and collimating mirror. Such an arrangement can significantly reduce the packaging area and further reduce the volume of the semiconductor laser compared with the strip-like arrangement of the prior art. Description of the Drawings

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the embodiments. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present disclosure, and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other related drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0019] Figure 1 One of the structural diagrams of the semiconductor laser provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 2 Another structural diagram of the semiconductor laser provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 3 Structural diagram of the reflector, laser chip, and heat sink provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] Icon: 10 - laser chip; 20 - mirror; 21 - reflecting surface; 30 - collimating mirror; 40 - heat sink; 50 - base; 60 - retaining wall structure; 61 - accommodating cavity; 70 - transparent window sheet. Detailed implementation manners

[0023] The implementation manners described below represent the information necessary for those skilled in the art to practice the described implementation manners and show the best mode of practicing the described implementation manners. After reading the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the present disclosure and will recognize the applications of these concepts that are not specifically presented herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0024] It should be understood that although terms such as first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the first element may be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element may be referred to as the first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0025] It should be understood that when an element (such as a layer, region, or substrate) is referred to as "on another element" or "extending onto another element", it may be directly on another element or directly extend onto another element, or there may also be intermediate elements. In contrast, when an element is referred to as "directly on another element" or "directly extending onto another element", there are no intermediate elements. Similarly, it should be understood that when an element (such as a layer, region, or substrate) is referred to as "above another element" or "extending above another element", it may be directly above another element or directly extend above another element, or there may also be intermediate elements. In contrast, when an element is referred to as "directly above another element" or "directly extending above another element", there are no intermediate elements. It should also be understood that when an element is referred to as "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it may be directly connected or coupled to another element, or there may be intermediate elements. In contrast, when an element is referred to as "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there are no intermediate elements.

[0026] Related terms such as "below", "above", "upper", "lower", "horizontal", or "vertical" may be used herein to describe the relationship between one element, layer, or region and another element, layer, or region, as shown in the figures. It should be understood that these terms and those discussed above are intended to cover different orientations of the device other than the orientations depicted in the figures.

[0027] The terms used in this specification are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to limit the disclosure. As used herein, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well. It should also be understood that when used herein, the term "comprising" specifies the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups of the foregoing.

[0028] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. It should also be understood that the terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0029] Please refer to Figure 1 , this embodiment provides a semiconductor laser, which includes at least two laser chips 10, a reflector 20 and a collimating mirror 30; the reflector 20 has at least two reflecting surfaces 21, and the reflecting surfaces 21 correspond to the laser chips 10 one by one. The reflecting surfaces 21 are arranged on the light-emitting side of the laser chips 10, and the collimating mirror 30 is arranged on the light-emitting side of the reflecting surfaces 21; the light beam emitted by any one of the laser chips 10 is reflected by the corresponding reflecting surface 21 and then incident on the collimating mirror 30, and the collimating mirror 30 collimates and emits the incident light beam. This semiconductor laser can reduce the number of optical components, reduce the volume of the semiconductor laser, and achieve miniaturization of the device.

[0030] It should be noted that the semiconductor laser of this application includes at least two laser chips 10, a reflector 20 and a collimating mirror 30. Among them, each laser chip 10 emits a light beam in the direction of the reflector 20 through its edge and is incident on different reflecting surfaces 21 of the reflector 20. In this way, the light beams incident on different reflecting surfaces 21 can be reflected by the corresponding reflecting surfaces 21 and then incident on the collimating mirror 30, and the collimating mirror 30 can collimate and emit the light beam. By providing a reflector 20 having at least two reflecting surfaces 21 in this application, different reflecting surfaces 21 can respectively reflect the light beams emitted by different laser chips 10; and by arranging the collimating mirror 30 on the light-emitting side of the reflecting surface 21, in this way, the collimating mirror 30 can collimate and emit the light beams reflected by different reflecting surfaces 21. In this way, compared with the prior art in which each laser chip is correspondingly provided with a reflector and a collimating mirror, this application can reduce the number of optical components and reduce the volume of the semiconductor laser.

[0031] In this embodiment, the laser chip 10 is an edge-emitting laser chip 10. An edge-emitting laser utilizes the edge of a semiconductor material to emit light beams. Compared with a surface-emitting laser, an edge-emitting laser has a relatively lower output power, is easier to form, and can achieve high-density integration, making it one of the first choices for some special application fields.

[0032] The number of the laser chips 10 is at least two. In this way, at least two laser chips 10 can share the reflector 20 and the collimating mirror 30. Herein, the specific number of the laser chips 10 is not limited in this application. For example, it can be two, three, four, etc.

[0033] The semiconductor laser of this application includes a reflector 20 which has at least two reflecting surfaces 21. It should be noted that the number of the reflecting surfaces 21 is the same as that of the laser chips 10, and the reflecting surfaces 21 and the laser chips 10 are in one-to-one correspondence. That is to say, a reflecting surface 21 is correspondingly arranged on the light-emitting side of each laser chip 10.

[0034] The collimating mirror 30 is arranged on the light-emitting surface of the reflecting surface 21. In this embodiment, it should be noted that the collimating mirror 30 is located on the outgoing surface of each reflecting surface 21 and is used to collimate and emit the light beams reflected by all the reflecting surfaces 21 respectively. In this way, the reflection direction of each reflecting surface 21 should all face the collimating mirror 30.

[0035] In this embodiment, the light beam emitted by the laser chip 10 is emitted horizontally and is incident on the corresponding reflecting surface 21. After being reflected by the reflecting surface 21, the light beam can be incident on the collimating mirror 30 and is emitted after being collimated by the collimating mirror 30. Among them, in this embodiment, the light beam collimated by the collimating mirror 30 is perpendicular or approximately perpendicular to the light beam emitted by the laser chip 10. It should be noted that in this embodiment, the light beam reflected by the reflecting surface 21 preferably is perpendicularly incident on the collimating mirror 30. In this way, the light beam emitted by the laser chip 10 and the light beam emitted after being reflected by the reflecting surface 21 are perpendicular to each other. In this way, it can effectively ensure that the light beam emitted after being collimated by the collimating mirror 30 is highly perpendicular to the light beam emitted by the laser chip 10, and can enable this semiconductor laser to be applied to scenarios with relatively high requirements for the emission angle of the emitted light beam.

[0036] In summary, the semiconductor laser provided by the present application includes at least two laser chips 10, a reflector 20, and a collimating mirror 30; the reflector 20 has at least two reflecting surfaces 21, and the reflecting surfaces 21 correspond to the laser chips 10 one by one. The reflecting surfaces 21 are arranged on the light-emitting side of the laser chips 10, and the collimating mirror 30 is arranged on the light-emitting side of the reflecting surfaces 21; the light beam emitted by any one of the laser chips 10 is reflected by the corresponding reflecting surface 21 and then incident on the collimating mirror 30, and the collimating mirror 30 collimates and emits the incident light beam. By providing at least two reflecting surfaces 21 on the reflector 20, making the reflecting surfaces 21 correspond to the laser chips 10 one by one, and arranging the collimating mirror 30 on the light-emitting side of the reflecting surfaces 21, the present application can reflect and collimate the light beams emitted by at least two laser chips 10 through one reflector 20 and one collimating mirror 30. Compared with the prior art in which each laser chip is respectively configured with one reflector and one collimating mirror, the reflector 20 and the collimating mirror 30 of the present application can be shared by multiple laser chips 10, which can reduce the number of optical elements of the semiconductor laser, reduce the volume of the semiconductor laser, make the optical path structure of the semiconductor laser more compact, and can achieve device miniaturization while achieving the same light-emitting effect; in addition, most of the multiple laser chips in the prior art are arranged in a strip-like manner, which also leads to a further increase in the packaging area of the semiconductor laser. Since the multiple laser chips 10 of the present application share the reflector 20 and the collimating mirror 30, the reflector 20 and the collimating mirror 30 can be arranged in the middle position of the semiconductor laser, and the multiple laser chips 10 can be distributed on the outer periphery of the reflector 20 and the collimating mirror 30. Such an arrangement can significantly reduce the packaging area and further reduce the volume of the semiconductor laser compared with the strip-like arrangement of the prior art.

[0037] In addition, it should be noted that by adjusting the positional relationship of different reflecting surfaces 21 (making the two reflecting surfaces 21 adjacent) of the semiconductor laser of the present application, after the light beams of multiple laser chips 10 are reflected by the reflecting surfaces 21 and collimated by the collimating mirror 30, the light beams can be combined together to obtain a single laser beam with higher power, thereby providing a wider range of options for the high-power application of the semiconductor laser; or, the two reflecting surfaces 21 are arranged at intervals to output separated light beams.

[0038] Optionally, the semiconductor laser of the present application may further include at least two heat sinks 40, the heat sinks 40 correspond to the laser chips 10 one by one, and the laser chips 10 are arranged on the heat sinks 40. It should be noted that the setting of the heat sinks 40 can accelerate the conduction and convection of the heat generated by the semiconductor laser and improve the heat dissipation ability of the air to the semiconductor laser. It can be understood that the material of the heat sink 40 may be aluminum nitride, silicon carbide, tungsten copper alloy, diamond, etc. that match the thermal expansion coefficient of the laser chip 10.

[0039] To further improve the heat dissipation effect, optionally, the heat sink 40 and the laser chip 10 are connected by a metal layer. The heat sink 40 and the laser chip 10 are connected by a metal layer, where the metal layer includes any one or more of copper, gold, and tin metals. For example, the metal layer can be a composite metal layer composed of copper, gold, and tin three materials, which has a large thermal conductivity and can quickly transfer the heat generated when the laser chip 10 works to the heat sink 40, and then quickly dissipate the heat through the heat sink 40.

[0040] Among them, the thickness of the above metal layer is not limited in this application and can be set as needed.

[0041] In this embodiment, in order to support the laser chip 10 and the mirror 20, please refer to Figure 2 , optionally, the semiconductor laser may further include a base 50, and the laser chip 10 and the mirror 20 are respectively arranged on the same side of the base 50.

[0042] Of course, the collimating mirror 30, the laser chip 10, and the mirror 20 are all located on the same side of the base 50. It should be noted that when the semiconductor laser has a heat sink 40, the heat sink 40, the laser chip 10, the mirror 20, and the collimating mirror 30 are all located on the same side of the base 50.

[0043] To protect the laser chip 10, thereby improving the reliability and service life of the laser chip 10 under long-term working conditions, optionally, the semiconductor laser further includes a retaining wall structure 60. The retaining wall structure 60 is connected to the base 50, and the retaining wall structure 60 and the base 50 enclose a receiving cavity 61 with an opening. The laser chip 10 and the mirror 20 are located in the receiving cavity 61.

[0044] It should be noted that the formation of the receiving cavity 61 with an opening is to facilitate the assembly of related components such as the mirror 20 and the laser chip 10 through the opening.

[0045] To further protect the laser chip 10 so that the laser chip 10 works in a sealed environment, optionally, the semiconductor laser further includes a transparent window sheet 70. The transparent window sheet 70 is connected to the retaining wall structure 60, and the transparent window sheet 70 covers the opening of the receiving cavity 61. By providing the transparent window sheet 70, the opening of the receiving cavity 61 can be covered. In this way, the laser chip 10 can be sealed in the receiving cavity 61, and the laser chip 10 can be better protected.

[0046] In addition, it should be noted that the setting of the transparent window sheet 70 should not affect the transmission of the light beam, that is, the transparent window sheet 70 can allow the light beam to transmit and exit.

[0047] In this embodiment, optionally, the collimating mirror 30 is located on the side of the transparent window 70 away from the retaining wall structure 60. In this way, after the light beam emitted by the laser chip 10 is reflected by the reflecting surface 21, it can pass through the transparent window 70 and then be incident on the collimating mirror 30, and is emitted after being collimated by the collimating mirror 30.

[0048] It should be noted that the present application does not limit the specific number of laser chips 10. For example, it can be two, three, four, etc.

[0049] Optionally, in an implementable manner, please refer to Figure 1 , the laser chip 10 includes two, and the two laser chips 10 are symmetrically distributed on opposite sides of the reflecting mirror 20; the reflecting surfaces 21 include two, and the two reflecting surfaces 21 are arranged in opposite directions. That is to say, when the laser chip 10 includes two, the two laser chips 10 can be symmetrically distributed on opposite sides of the reflecting mirror 20.

[0050] Of course, the above distribution is only an example. For example, in other embodiments, the two laser chips 10 can also be distributed on adjacent sides of the reflecting mirror 20.

[0051] In another implementable manner, optionally, please refer to Figure 3 , the laser chip 10 includes multiple, and the multiple laser chips 10 are arranged around the outer periphery of the reflecting mirror 20; the reflecting surfaces 21 include multiple, and the multiple reflecting surfaces 21 are respectively arranged on the outer peripheral wall of the reflecting mirror 20. That is, the multiple laser chips 10 of the present application can be arranged in a circular distribution, so that the multiple laser chips 10 can be set more concentratedly, and the packaging area and volume of the semiconductor laser can be reduced.

[0052] That is to say, when the laser chip 10 includes multiple, at this time, the multiple laser chips 10 can be arranged around the reflecting mirror 20. At this time, the multiple reflecting surfaces 21 should also be arranged on the multiple outer peripheral walls of the reflecting mirror 20.

[0053] On the other hand, the present disclosure provides an optical module, and the optical module includes the above-mentioned semiconductor laser. Among them, since the specific structure and technical effects of the semiconductor laser have been elaborated and described in detail above, the present application will not be repeated here.

[0054] The above are only optional embodiments of the present disclosure and are not used to limit the present disclosure. For those skilled in the art, the present disclosure can have various changes and modifications. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present disclosure shall be included in the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0055] In addition, it should be noted that, in the above specific embodiments, the various specific technical features described can be combined in any appropriate manner without conflict. To avoid unnecessary repetition, the present disclosure will not separately describe various possible combination manners.

Claims

1. A semiconductor laser, characterized in that: It comprises at least two laser chips, a reflector and a collimator; the reflector has at least two reflective surfaces, the reflective surfaces correspond to the laser chips one by one, the reflective surfaces are arranged on the light-emitting side of the laser chip, and the collimator is arranged on the light-emitting side of the reflective surfaces; a light beam emitted by any one of the laser chips is incident on the collimator after being reflected by the corresponding reflective surface, and the collimator collimates the incident light beam and emits it.

2. The semiconductor laser according to claim 1, characterized in that The semiconductor laser further includes at least two heat sinks, the heat sinks correspond to the laser chips one by one, and the laser chips are arranged on the heat sinks.

3. The semiconductor laser according to claim 2, characterized in that The heat sink and the laser chip are connected via a metal layer.

4. The semiconductor laser according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The semiconductor laser also includes a base, and the laser chip and the reflector are respectively arranged on the same side of the base.

5. The semiconductor laser according to claim 4, characterized in that The semiconductor laser also includes a retaining wall structure, which is connected to the base. The retaining wall structure and the base together form a containing cavity with an opening, and the laser chip and the reflecting mirror are located in the containing cavity.

6. The semiconductor laser according to claim 5, characterized in that The semiconductor laser also includes a transparent window piece, which is connected to the retaining wall structure and covers the opening of the accommodating cavity.

7. The semiconductor laser according to claim 6, characterized in that The collimating mirror is located at a side of the transparent window piece away from the retaining wall structure.

8. The semiconductor laser according to claim 1, characterized in that The laser chips include two, and the two laser chips are symmetrically distributed on two opposite sides of the reflector; the reflective surfaces include two, and the two reflective surfaces are arranged opposite to each other.

9. The semiconductor laser according to claim 1, characterized in that The laser chips include a plurality of laser chips, and the plurality of laser chips are arranged around the periphery of the reflector; the reflective surfaces include a plurality of reflective surfaces, and the plurality of reflective surfaces are respectively arranged on the peripheral wall of the reflector.

10. An optical module, characterized in that: A semiconductor laser comprising any one of claims 1 to 9.

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