Semiconductor laser

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of laser devices. Disclosed is a semiconductor laser. The semiconductor laser comprises a laser unit and an electrode block; the laser unit comprises a laser chip and a thermally conductive welding block, the laser chip is welded and fixed at an edge of one side surface of the thermally conductive welding block, and the laser chip is electrically connected to the thermally conductive welding block; the electrode block is fixedly connected to and insulated from the thermally conductive welding block, the electrode block is pressed against the surface of the laser chip facing away from the thermally conductive welding block, and the laser chip is in electrical contact with the electrode block. By means of the described method, the present application can not only improve the heat dissipation efficiency of a laser chip, but also ensure the stability of the structure thereof.

Description

semiconductor lasers Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of laser equipment technology, specifically to a semiconductor laser. Background Technology

[0002] Semiconductor lasers are lasers that use semiconductor materials as their working medium. With technological advancements, semiconductor lasers are widely used in various industries. In a semiconductor laser, the laser chip (i.e., the laser diode) generates a significant amount of heat when emitting light. To ensure the stability of the laser chip's operation, heat dissipation measures are necessary.

[0003] In most existing semiconductor lasers, one side of the laser chip is soldered to a heatsink, which then dissipates the heat generated by the laser chip. Simultaneously, to ensure proper power supply to the laser chip, the heatsink serves as one electrode and is electrically connected to the laser chip via soldering. Additionally, another electrode is insulated and fixed to the heatsink, and this third electrode is electrically connected to the opposite side of the laser chip via a wire, thus providing power to the laser chip.

[0004] In the above methods, since the heat on the laser chip can only be dissipated from one side through the heat-conducting block, the heat dissipation efficiency is low and cannot meet the heat dissipation requirements of high-power laser chips. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the above problems, this application provides a semiconductor laser that can not only improve the heat dissipation efficiency of the laser chip, but also ensure the stability of its structure.

[0006] This application provides a semiconductor laser, including: a laser unit and an electrode block; the laser unit includes a laser chip and a thermally conductive welding block, the laser chip is welded and fixed to the edge of one side of the thermally conductive welding block, and the laser chip and the thermally conductive welding block form an electrical connection; the electrode block is fixedly connected to the thermally conductive welding block and insulated from each other, the electrode block is pressed on the side of the laser chip away from the thermally conductive welding block, and the laser chip and the electrode block form an electrical contact.

[0007] The semiconductor laser provided in this application employs a structure where one side of the laser chip is welded and bonded to a heat-conducting bonding block, and the other side is pressed and held together by an electrode block. This not only solves the problem of high stress on the laser chip due to thermal expansion caused by double-sided welding, but also addresses the assembly difficulties and reliability issues associated with double-sided clamping. Thus, while improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the laser chip, it ensures good structural stability and reliability. Furthermore, since the laser chip and heat-conducting bonding block are welded to form a laser unit, when the laser chip in the semiconductor laser is damaged, the laser unit can be replaced independently, thereby reducing the maintenance cost of the semiconductor laser.

[0008] In one alternative approach, the front side of the laser chip is soldered and fixed to a thermally conductive solder block.

[0009] Since the PN junction, which generates laser light and heat, is closer to the front side of the laser chip, most of the heat generated on the laser chip can be quickly conducted away from the front side through the thermally conductive solder block after the front side of the laser chip is soldered and bonded to it. This improves the heat dissipation performance of the laser chip and allows it to work stably for a long time under high power conditions.

[0010] In one alternative embodiment, both the electrode block and the thermally conductive welding block are provided with flow channels for the introduction of coolant; a sealing ring is clamped and fixed between the electrode block and the thermally conductive welding block, and a coolant channel is formed within the sealing ring to allow the flow channels on the electrode block and the flow channels on the thermally conductive welding block to communicate with each other.

[0011] By providing flow channels in both the electrode block and the thermally conductive welding block and introducing coolant, the heat generated by the laser chip can be quickly discharged through the coolant. By connecting the flow channels on the electrode block and the thermally conductive welding block, the coolant can flow between the flow channels on the electrode block and the thermally conductive welding block and absorb the heat on the electrode block and the thermally conductive welding block.

[0012] In one alternative embodiment, an insulating pad is sandwiched between the electrode block and the thermally conductive welding block; the semiconductor laser also includes a pressure block, with protrusions at opposite ends on one side of the pressure block, the pressure block pressing against the side of the electrode block away from the laser unit through the protrusions, and one of the protrusions being disposed opposite to the laser chip; the semiconductor laser also includes a fastener, the fastener being inserted into and fixed in the pressure block, the electrode block and the thermally conductive welding block to clamp the pressure block, the electrode block and the laser unit together, and the fastener being insulated from the pressure block, the electrode block and the thermally conductive welding block.

[0013] After the pressure block, electrode block, and heat-conducting welding block are clamped together by fasteners, the force applied by the pressure block to the electrode block is concentrated at the protrusions at both ends of the pressure block. Since one of the pressure blocks is positioned opposite the laser chip, the force is further transmitted to the laser chip, so that the interaction force between the electrode block and the laser chip is concentrated on the contact surface and perpendicular to the contact surface, thereby preventing the electrode block from arching and thus preventing the laser chip from warping.

[0014] In one alternative approach, the laser chip and the solder layer of the welding laser chip and the thermally conductive welding block together form an integral structure, and the shape and size of the insulating pad are the same as the integral structure; the insulating pad is disposed between the electrode block and the thermally conductive welding block, and is located at the edge opposite to the laser chip, and another protrusion is disposed opposite to the insulating pad.

[0015] The laser chip and solder layer form an integral structure. By setting the shape and size of the insulating pad to be the same as the integral structure and clamping the insulating pad at the opposite edge of the laser chip, the clamping force of the electrode block on the laser chip and the clamping force on the insulating pad are basically the same in terms of direction, size and distribution. This ensures that the overall force distribution inside the semiconductor laser is relatively uniform and the structure is stable and reliable.

[0016] In one alternative approach, the fastener is positioned in the middle of the two protrusions at both ends, meaning the distance between the fastener and the two protrusions is equal. This allows the clamping force of the fastener on the pressure block to act in the middle, and after the pressure block is subjected to the clamping force of the fastener, it will be symmetrically and evenly transmitted to the laser chip and the insulating pad through the protrusions at both ends, thereby ensuring uniform stress distribution inside the semiconductor laser.

[0017] In one alternative embodiment, there are multiple laser units stacked sequentially, with a thermally conductive welding block in one laser unit pressing onto the laser chip in the next laser unit and forming an electrical contact, so that the laser chips in all laser units are connected in series; there are multiple insulating pads, with an insulating pad sandwiched between the thermally conductive welding blocks in the previous and next laser units; an electrode block is pressed onto the laser chip in the first laser unit; fasteners are inserted into and fixed to the pressure block, the electrode block, and the thermally conductive welding blocks in the multiple laser units, so as to clamp them together.

[0018] With this configuration, the heat generated by the laser chip in the first laser unit is dissipated through an electrode block pressed on one side and a thermally conductive solder block welded to the other side. The heat generated by the remaining laser chips is dissipated through two thermally conductive solder blocks pressed and welded to both sides, achieving efficient heat dissipation for all laser chips and enabling stable operation under high power conditions. Since each laser unit is clamped and fixed, aging tests can be performed on each unit individually. Furthermore, if a laser chip fails, its associated laser unit can be removed and replaced without adjusting other components, facilitating subsequent disassembly and maintenance of the semiconductor laser. In addition, all laser units can adopt the same modular structure to reduce manufacturing costs, and the number of laser unit layers can be adjusted during assembly according to actual product requirements, making the product packaging more flexible and diverse.

[0019] In one alternative embodiment, all thermally conductive welding blocks are provided with identical flow channels, and the flow channels on two adjacent thermally conductive welding blocks are interconnected by a sealing ring sandwiched between them; the semiconductor laser also includes a thermally conductive base block, and the thermally conductive welding block in the last laser unit is disposed on the thermally conductive base block. Fasteners are inserted into and fixed to the pressure block, electrode block, thermally conductive welding blocks in multiple laser units, and thermally conductive base block to clamp them together; both the electrode block and the thermally conductive base block are provided with flow channels, and the flow channels on the electrode block are interconnected with the flow channels on the thermally conductive welding block in the first laser unit by a sealing ring sandwiched between them, and the flow channels on the thermally conductive base block are interconnected with the flow channels on the thermally conductive welding block in the last laser unit by a sealing ring sandwiched between them; the electrode block and the thermally conductive base block are respectively provided with an inlet and an outlet that are connected to the flow channels thereon.

[0020] The inlet and outlet are respectively located on the electrode block and the heat-conducting base block, so that the structure of all laser units can be exactly the same, that is, the flow channel shape on all heat-conducting welding blocks can be exactly the same, so as to facilitate the mass production of laser units and reduce production costs.

[0021] In one alternative embodiment, a laser module is formed by inserting and fixing at least one fastener into a pressure block, an electrode block, and a thermally conductive welding block in at least one laser unit; the semiconductor laser includes multiple laser modules arranged horizontally; among all laser modules, the thermally conductive welding blocks furthest from the pressure block are integrally structured; or, the semiconductor laser also includes a thermally conductive base block, all laser modules are disposed on the thermally conductive base block, and in each laser module, fasteners are inserted and fixed into the pressure block, the electrode block, the thermally conductive welding block in at least one laser unit, and the thermally conductive base block to clamp them together.

[0022] A laser module is formed by clamping and fixing a pressure block, an electrode block, and at least one heat-conducting welding block in a laser unit together with fasteners. Multiple laser modules are arranged horizontally, and all heat-conducting welding blocks farthest from the pressure block are set as an integral structure. This realizes the packaging of multiple laser chips after horizontal arrangement, thereby improving the output power of semiconductor lasers and meeting more diversified product needs.

[0023] Alternatively, the bottom heat-conducting welding block can be an independent structure, with each laser module having its own independent heat-conducting welding block. A large heat-conducting base block is placed below all laser modules, and fasteners are inserted into the heat-conducting base block to fix all laser modules together. This eliminates the need to weld multiple laser chips onto the bottom heat-conducting welding block, allowing all laser chips to be individually disassembled and replaced as independent laser units, thus reducing the maintenance costs of semiconductor lasers in the later stages.

[0024] In one alternative approach, all thermally conductive welding blocks are provided with identical flow channels. Within the same laser module, the flow channels on two adjacent thermally conductive welding blocks are interconnected by a sealing ring sandwiched between them. The semiconductor laser includes a thermally conductive substrate, and both the electrode block and the thermally conductive substrate are provided with flow channels. In each laser module, the flow channels on the electrode block are interconnected with the flow channels on the thermally conductive welding blocks in the first laser unit by a sealing ring sandwiched between them. Furthermore, for all laser modules, the flow channels on the thermally conductive welding blocks in the last laser unit are interconnected with the flow channels on the thermally conductive substrate by a sealing ring sandwiched between them. The electrode block and the thermally conductive substrate are respectively provided with inlet and outlet ports that communicate with their flow channels.

[0025] By setting a heat-conducting base block at the bottom and placing the liquid inlet and outlet on the electrode block and the heat-conducting base block respectively, the structure of all laser units can be completely identical, that is, the flow channel shape on all heat-conducting welding blocks can be completely consistent, so as to facilitate the mass production of laser units and reduce production costs.

[0026] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of this application. In order to better understand the technical means of this application and to implement it in accordance with the contents of the specification, and to make the above and other objects, features and advantages of this application more obvious and understandable, specific embodiments of this application are given below. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings:

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor laser in the prior art;

[0029] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure in which both sides of the laser chip are welded and fixed to the heat-conducting block;

[0030] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure in which the two sides of the laser chip are clamped and fixed by heat-conducting blocks.

[0031] Figure 4 is a side view of the semiconductor laser provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure in which the electrode block and the heat-conducting welding block are directly clamped by fasteners;

[0033] Figure 6 is a side view of a semiconductor laser with a pressure block and fasteners provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 7 is a side view of a semiconductor laser with flow channels formed in the electrode block and the heat-conducting welding block according to an embodiment of this application.

[0035] Figure 8 is a side view of a semiconductor laser with multiple laser units stacked according to an embodiment of this application;

[0036] Figure 9 is a side view of a semiconductor laser with multiple laser units stacked and flow channels provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0037] Figure 10 is a side view of a semiconductor laser with a heat-conducting substrate at the bottom provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0038] Figure 11 is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a semiconductor laser with multiple laser modules arranged horizontally according to an embodiment of this application;

[0039] Figure 12 is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a semiconductor laser with multiple laser modules arranged horizontally and a heat-conducting substrate at the bottom, provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0040] Figure 13 is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a semiconductor laser with multiple laser chip arrays arranged according to an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 14 is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a semiconductor laser with multiple laser chip arrays arranged and a heat-conducting substrate at the bottom, provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0042] The reference numerals in the detailed embodiments are as follows:

[0043] In Figures 1 to 3: 10, laser chip; 20, heat-conducting block; 30, insulating layer; 40, electrode; 50, wire; 60, solder;

[0044] In other accompanying drawings: 100, semiconductor laser; 110, laser unit; 111, laser chip; 112, thermally conductive solder block; 113, solder layer; 120, electrode block; 130, adhesive layer; 140, insulating pad layer; 150, pressure block; 151, protrusion; 160, fastener; 170, flow channel; 171, sealing ring; 172, coolant channel; 173, inlet; 174, outlet; 180, thermally conductive base block; 190, laser module. Detailed Implementation

[0045] The embodiments of the technical solution of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of this application and are therefore merely examples, and should not be used to limit the scope of protection of this application.

[0046] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains; the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the application; the terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, in the specification, claims, and foregoing description of the drawings are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0047] In the description of the embodiments of this application, technical terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish different objects and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number, specific order, or primary and secondary relationship of the indicated technical features. In the description of the embodiments of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly defined.

[0048] In this document, the term "embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this application. The appearance of this phrase in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a separate or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0049] In the description of the embodiments in this application, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three cases: A exists, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the related objects before and after it have an "or" relationship.

[0050] In the description of the embodiments of this application, the term "multiple" refers to two or more (including two), similarly, "multiple sets" refers to two or more (including two sets), and "multiple pieces" refers to two or more (including two pieces).

[0051] In the description of the embodiments of this application, the technical terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of this application and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the embodiments of this application.

[0052] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, technical terms such as "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0053] The structure of an existing semiconductor laser is shown in Figure 1. It includes a laser chip 10, a heat-conducting block 20, an insulating layer 30, electrodes 40, and wires 50. The heat-conducting block 20 is generally made of a metal block with good electrical and thermal conductivity, such as copper or aluminum. One side of the laser chip 10 is soldered to the heat-conducting block 20 and electrically connected to it. The electrodes 40, insulating layer 30, and heat-conducting block 20 can be fixed to each other by welding, bonding, or other methods. The electrodes 40 and heat-conducting block 20 are insulated from each other by the insulating layer 30. The electrodes 40 and laser chip 10 are electrically connected by wires 50, which are generally made of gold wire with good conductivity. After assembly, the electrodes 40 and heat-conducting block 20 are connected to the positive and negative terminals of the power supply, respectively, to form a power supply circuit to the laser chip 10.

[0054] During operation, the heat generated by the laser chip 10 is dissipated through the heat-conducting block 20. Since this structure can only dissipate heat from one side of the laser chip 10, the heat dissipation efficiency is low and cannot meet the heat dissipation requirements of the laser chip 10 under high-power operating conditions.

[0055] In order to dissipate heat from both sides of the laser chip 10, the method shown in Figure 2 can be adopted. As shown in the figure, the two sides of the laser chip 10 are respectively welded and fixed to two different heat-conducting blocks 20 by solder 60 and electrically connected. The two heat-conducting blocks 20 are insulated from each other by an insulating layer 30, and the two heat-conducting blocks 20 are respectively connected to the positive and negative terminals of the power supply to supply power to the laser chip 10. During operation, the heat generated by the laser chip 10 can be discharged from both sides through the two heat-conducting blocks 20 to achieve efficient heat dissipation of the laser chip 10.

[0056] However, in practice, it was found that for the structure shown in Figure 2, since the two sides of the laser chip 10 are bonded to the two heat-conducting blocks 20 by welding, when the laser chip 10 and the heat-conducting blocks 20 deform due to heat, the stress on the laser chip 10 will increase by 5 to 6 times compared to the single-sided welding method in Figure 1 due to the mismatch in the coefficients of thermal expansion between Cu and the laser chip 10 when the heat-conducting blocks 20 are made of copper (Cu). This makes the laser chip 10 extremely prone to breakage during packaging and operation. If the heat-conducting blocks 20 are made of copper-tungsten alloy (CuW) with a coefficient of thermal expansion that matches that of the laser chip 10, although the stress on the laser chip 10 can be greatly alleviated, the thermal conductivity of CuW is 170 W / (m·K), compared to the thermal conductivity of Cu of 397 W / (m·K). The thermal conductivity of the CuW heat-conducting blocks 20 will be significantly reduced, thus failing to provide efficient heat dissipation for the laser chip 10.

[0057] To address the issue of high stress on the laser chip 10 due to the welding bond between the laser chip 10 and the heat-conducting block 20, one approach is to avoid welding the laser chip 10 and instead clamp it between the two heat-conducting blocks 20, as shown in Figure 3. While this avoids excessive stress on the laser chip 10 during thermal expansion, the lack of effective fixation on either side of the laser chip 10, relying solely on friction to limit its position by pressing the two heat-conducting blocks 20 together, leaves the laser chip 10 essentially in a free state. During assembly, the laser chip 10 and heat-conducting blocks 20 must be aligned precisely in one go, requiring high consistency and increasing assembly difficulty. Furthermore, vibration or impact can easily cause misalignment between the laser chip 10 and the heat-conducting blocks 20, potentially leading to the laser chip 10 detaching and reducing product reliability.

[0058] Taking all the above factors into account, in order to balance the heat dissipation performance and stability of the laser chip, this application adopts a method of welding on one side and pressing on the other side to package the laser chip. Welding on one side can ensure the reliable position and structural stability of the laser chip, while the structure of welding on one side and pressing on the other side can achieve double-sided heat conduction of the laser chip, so as to ensure that the laser chip has good heat dissipation performance.

[0059] Based on this, embodiments of this application provide a semiconductor laser, which can be applied to fields such as intelligent manufacturing, industrial processing, material handling, scientific research, medical aesthetics, and laser ranging.

[0060] Please refer to Figure 4 for details. The figure shows the side structure of a semiconductor laser provided in this embodiment of the application. The semiconductor laser 100 includes a laser unit 110 and an electrode block 120. The laser unit 110 includes a laser chip 111 and a thermally conductive solder block 112. The laser chip 111 is soldered and fixed to the edge of one side of the thermally conductive solder block 112. A solder layer 113 is formed between the laser chip 111 and the thermally conductive solder block 112, providing an electrical connection between them. The electrode block 120 is fixedly connected to and insulated from the thermally conductive solder block 112. The electrode block 120 presses against the side of the laser chip 111 facing away from the thermally conductive solder block 112, and the laser chip 111 and the thermally conductive solder block 112 form an electrical contact.

[0061] Specifically, both the thermally conductive welding block 112 and the electrode block 120 can be made of copper blocks with good thermal conductivity. Alternatively, in order to better reduce the thermal stress on the laser chip 111, some thermal conductivity can be sacrificed, and the thermally conductive welding block 112 can be made of copper-tungsten alloy, while the electrode block 120 can still be made of copper.

[0062] The thermally conductive welding block 112 and the electrode block 120 constitute two connecting electrodes, which are respectively used to connect to the positive and negative terminals of the power supply (not shown) to power the laser chip 111.

[0063] Compared to the contact structure between the laser chip 111 and the electrode block 120, the welding bond structure between the laser chip 111 and the heat-conducting welding block 112 has a higher heat conduction rate. Based on this, in order to dissipate the heat generated by the laser chip 111 more quickly, the front side of the laser chip 111 can be welded and fixed to the heat-conducting welding block 112.

[0064] Since the PN junction that generates laser light and heat is closer to the front side of the laser chip 111, after the front side of the laser chip 111 is bonded to the thermally conductive solder block 112, most of the heat generated on the laser chip 111 can be quickly conducted away from its front side through the thermally conductive solder block 112, thereby improving the heat dissipation performance of the laser chip 111 and enabling the laser chip 111 to work stably for a long time under high power conditions.

[0065] The thermally conductive welding block 112 and the electrode block 120 can be bonded and fixed together by an adhesive layer 130, as shown in Figure 4. The adhesive layer 130 can be made of a material with good insulation and thermal conductivity, which not only achieves insulation between the thermally conductive welding block 112 and the electrode block 120, but also transfers heat between them when there is a temperature difference, thus achieving better heat dissipation. Furthermore, the bonding and fixing method using the adhesive layer 130 allows the semiconductor laser 100 to have a compact structure, meeting the requirements for product miniaturization.

[0066] Alternatively, the thermally conductive welding block 112 and the electrode block 120 can be fixed and insulated from each other using fasteners. For this purpose, the method shown in Figure 5 is considered first, where the electrode block 120 and the thermally conductive welding block 112 are clamped together. That is, the thermally conductive welding block 112 and the electrode block 120 are clamped together by bolts threaded into the thermally conductive welding block 112, and an insulating pad 140 is sandwiched between the electrode block 120 and the thermally conductive welding block 112 to insulate them from each other. The insulating pad 140 can also be made of a material with good structural strength and thermal conductivity, such as a ceramic block.

[0067] However, in practice, it was found that when a large clamping force is applied to the heat-conducting welding block 112 and the electrode block 120 through threaded fasteners to ensure that the electrode block 120 can form a reliable contact with the laser chip 111, the large clamping force may cause the middle area of ​​the electrode block 120 to arch up. After arching, the upper and lower edges of the electrode block 120 are as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 5. This will cause the edge of the laser chip 111 to warp, thereby affecting the working performance and stability of the laser chip 111.

[0068] In view of this, in order to solve the problem of warping of the laser chip 111 after compression, as shown in the side view structure of Figure 6, the semiconductor laser 100 may further include a pressing block 150. Protrusions 151 are respectively provided at opposite ends on one side of the pressing block 150. The pressing block 150 presses against the side of the electrode block 120 away from the laser unit 110 through the protrusions 151, and one of the protrusions 151 is positioned opposite to the laser chip 111. The pressing block 150 is a rigid body, such as a metal block or a ceramic block. When the pressing block 150 is a metal block, it can form an electrical contact with the electrode block 120, that is, the pressing block 150 and the electrode block 120 together form one of the electrodes.

[0069] The semiconductor laser 100 also includes a fastener 160, which is inserted into and fixed in the pressure block 150, electrode block 120, and thermally conductive welding block 112 to clamp the pressure block 150, electrode block 120, and laser unit 110 together. This ensures that the electrode block 120 and laser chip 111 form a tight and reliable contact relationship, providing strong protection for electrical and heat transfer between them. The fastener 160 can be a bolt or screw threaded to the thermally conductive welding block 112 as shown in Figure 5, or a threaded fastener with a bolt and nut locking together as shown in Figure 3, where the bottom of the bolt protrudes from the thermally conductive welding block 112 and locks with the nut. Of course, the fastener 160 can also be a rivet riveted to the thermally conductive welding block 112. In addition, the fastener 160 can be inserted from top to bottom as shown in Figure 5, or vice versa, from bottom to top; the specific insertion is not limited here.

[0070] It should be noted that in order to avoid short circuits caused by the fastener 160 connecting the pressure block 150, electrode block 120 and heat-conducting welding block 112 to each other, the fastener 160 needs to be insulated from the pressure block 150, electrode block 120 and heat-conducting welding block 112. Specifically, insulation can be achieved by wrapping or coating the fastener 160 with insulating material, or fastener 160 made of insulating material can be used directly.

[0071] After the clamping block 150, electrode block 120 and heat-conducting welding block 112 are clamped together by the fastener 160, the force applied by the clamping block 150 to the electrode block 120 is concentrated at the protrusions 151 at both ends of the clamping block 150, as shown by the arrow in Figure 6. Since one of the clamping blocks 150 is positioned opposite to the laser chip 111, the force will be further transmitted to the laser chip 111, so that the interaction force between the electrode block 120 and the laser chip 111 is concentrated on the contact surface of the two and perpendicular to the contact surface, thereby preventing the electrode block 120 from arching and thus preventing the laser chip 111 from warping.

[0072] To improve the rate at which the electrode block 120 and the thermally conductive welding block 112 dissipate heat from the laser chip 111, as shown in the cross-sectional structure of Figure 7, both the electrode block 120 and the thermally conductive welding block 112 are provided with flow channels 170. These flow channels 170 are used to introduce coolant, thereby rapidly dissipating the heat generated by the laser chip 111. A sealing ring 171 is clamped and fixed between the electrode block 120 and the thermally conductive welding block 112. A coolant channel 172 is formed within the sealing ring 171, allowing the flow channels 170 on the electrode block 120 and the thermally conductive welding block 112 to communicate with each other. This enables the coolant to flow between the flow channels 170 on the electrode block 120 and the thermally conductive welding block 112, absorbing heat from both components.

[0073] Furthermore, one of the heat-conducting welding block 112 and the electrode block 120 may have a liquid inlet 173 and the other may have a liquid outlet 174. The liquid inlet 173 and the liquid outlet 174 are respectively used to connect to the liquid inlet pipe and the liquid outlet pipe, so that coolant is continuously circulated in the flow channel 170 on the electrode block 120 and the flow channel 170 on the heat-conducting welding block 112 for heat conduction.

[0074] In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, where the electrode block 120 and the thermally conductive welding block 112 are bonded and fixed by the adhesive layer 130, flow channels 170 for coolant flow can also be opened on the electrode block 120 and the thermally conductive welding block 112, and the flow channels 170 on the two can be interconnected by using an intermediate clamping sealing ring 171.

[0075] In summary, the semiconductor laser 100 provided in this application adopts a structure in which the laser chip 111 is bonded to the thermally conductive welding block 112 on one side and pressed against the electrode block 120 on the other side. This structure not only solves the problem of high stress on the laser chip 111 due to thermal expansion caused by double-sided welding, but also solves the problems of high assembly difficulty and low reliability caused by double-sided clamping. Thus, while improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the laser chip 111, it ensures that the laser chip 111 has good structural stability and reliability. Furthermore, the laser unit 110 is formed by welding the laser chip 111 and the thermally conductive welding block 112. When the laser chip 111 in the semiconductor laser 100 is damaged, the laser unit 110 can be replaced independently, thereby reducing the maintenance cost of the semiconductor laser 100.

[0076] To ensure uniform stress distribution in the semiconductor laser 100 and further improve its structural stability, this application also includes a corresponding structural design for the insulating pad 140. Please refer again to Figure 6 for details. The laser chip 111 and the solder layer 113 of the welding laser chip 111 and the thermally conductive welding block 112 together form an integral structure. The shape and size of the insulating pad 140 are the same as this integral structure. The insulating pad 140 is disposed between the electrode block 120 and the thermally conductive welding block 112, and is located at the edge opposite to the laser chip 111. Another protrusion 151 (referring to the protrusion 151 not opposite to the laser chip 111, i.e., the protrusion 151 on the right side of Figure 6) is disposed opposite to the insulating pad 140.

[0077] In this embodiment, the laser chip 111 and the solder layer 113 form an integral structure. By setting the shape and size of the insulating pad 140 to be the same as the integral structure, and clamping the insulating pad 140 at the other edge opposite to the laser chip 111, the clamping force of the electrode block 120 on the laser chip 111 and the clamping force on the insulating pad 140 are basically the same in terms of direction, size and distribution. This ensures that the overall force distribution inside the semiconductor laser 100 is relatively uniform and the structure is stable and reliable.

[0078] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, the fastener 160 can be positioned at the midpoint between the two protrusions 151 at both ends, meaning the distance between the fastener 160 and the two protrusions 151 is equal. This ensures that the clamping force of the fastener 160 on the pressure block 150 acts in the middle, and after being clamped by the fastener 160, the pressure block 150 is symmetrically and evenly transmitted to the laser chip 111 and the insulating pad layer 140 through the protrusions 151 at both ends, thereby ensuring uniform stress distribution inside the semiconductor laser 100. Alternatively, multiple fasteners 160 can be provided, fixed between the two protrusions 151, and mirror-symmetrical along the vertical center line of the pressure block 150. This ensures that the clamping force applied by the multiple fasteners 160 to the pressure block 150 is symmetrically distributed, avoiding stress concentration at one end and affecting structural stability.

[0079] For some semiconductor lasers, in order to increase laser power, multiple laser chips are vertically packaged to form an array, and the array emits laser light together to provide beam energy. The semiconductor laser provided in this application embodiment can also achieve vertical packaging of multiple laser chips 111 while ensuring good heat dissipation performance, structural stability, and easy maintenance. Specifically, please refer to Figure 8. There can be multiple laser units 110, which are stacked sequentially, with the electrode block 120 pressing on the laser chip 111 in the first laser unit 110 (the uppermost laser unit 110 in the view of Figure 8).

[0080] The thermally conductive welding block 112 in the preceding laser unit 110 (the uppermost laser unit 110 in Figure 8) presses onto the laser chip 111 in the following laser unit 110 and forms an electrical contact, thereby connecting the laser chips 111 in all laser units 110 in series. This can also be understood as the uppermost thermally conductive welding block 112 forming the electrode block 120 of the lowermost laser chip 111.

[0081] Correspondingly, there are also multiple insulating pads 140. The insulating pads 140 are not only sandwiched between the electrode block 120 and the heat-conducting welding block 112 in the first laser unit 110, but also sandwiched between two adjacent heat-conducting welding blocks 112. That is, the insulating pads 140 are also sandwiched between the heat-conducting welding blocks 112 in the previous laser unit 110 and the heat-conducting welding blocks 112 in the next laser unit 110.

[0082] Fasteners 160 are inserted into and fixed to the heat-conducting welding blocks 112 in the pressure block 150, electrode block 120 and multiple laser units 110, so as to clamp them together.

[0083] The heat generated by the laser chip 111 in the first laser unit 110 is conducted away through the electrode block 120 pressed on one side and the heat-conducting welding block 112 welded on the other side. The heat generated by the remaining laser chips 111 is conducted away through the two heat-conducting welding blocks 112 pressed and welded on both sides respectively, thereby achieving efficient heat dissipation for all laser chips 111 and enabling the laser chips 111 to work stably under high power conditions.

[0084] Since each laser unit 110 is clamped and fixed, the aging condition of each laser unit 110 can be tested individually. Furthermore, when a laser chip 111 fails, its associated laser unit 110 can be removed and replaced without adjusting other components, facilitating the later disassembly and maintenance of the semiconductor laser 100. In addition, all laser units 110 can adopt the same modular structure to reduce manufacturing costs. The number of laser units 110 stacked can also be adjusted as needed during assembly according to actual product requirements, making the product packaging more flexible and diverse.

[0085] For the embodiment shown in Figure 8, flow channels 170 for coolant flow can also be formed on the electrode block 120 and each heat-conducting welding block 112 to enhance heat dissipation performance. The specific flow channel structure is shown in Figure 9. To ensure that all coolant flows in a unidirectional circulation and passes through all heat-conducting welding blocks 112 for efficient heat conduction, the same form as in Figure 7 is adopted, that is, the flow channels 170 on adjacent heat-conducting welding blocks 112 are interconnected by sealing rings 171 so that coolant can cross the heat-conducting welding blocks 112. Specifically, the flow channels 170 in each electrode block 120 and each heat-conducting welding block 112 can extend horizontally or vertically as shown in Figure 9, or they can extend in a serpentine or other bends, which is not limited here. Inlet ports 173 and outlet ports 174 can be formed on the electrode block 120 and the last heat-conducting welding block 112 respectively (the positions of inlet ports 173 and outlet ports 174 can be interchanged), and coolant circulation is achieved through external coolant pipelines.

[0086] As can be seen from Figure 9, the flow channel 170 on the heat-conducting welding block 112 in the last laser unit 110 is different in shape from the flow channel 170 on the other heat-conducting welding blocks 112 because the liquid outlet 174 needs to be opened on it. For manufacturing purposes, the last heat-conducting welding block 112 needs to be processed and manufactured using a different process or fixture than the other heat-conducting welding blocks 112, which will lead to an increase in production costs.

[0087] To ensure uniformity in structure across all laser units 110, all thermally conductive welding blocks 112 have identical flow channels 170 for mass production, as shown in Figure 10. The semiconductor laser 100 may also include a thermally conductive base block 180. The thermally conductive welding block 112 in the last laser unit 110 is positioned on the thermally conductive base block 180. Fasteners 160 are inserted into and fixed to the pressure block 150, electrode block 120, the thermally conductive welding blocks 112 in the multiple laser units 110, and the thermally conductive base block 180, clamping them together. Liquid inlets 173 and outlets 174 are respectively located on the electrode block 120 and the thermally conductive base block 180, ensuring that all laser units 110 are identical, meaning the flow channel 170 shape on all thermally conductive welding blocks 112 is completely consistent, thereby reducing production costs.

[0088] In addition to vertical packaging, multiple laser chips 111 can also be horizontally packaged, as shown in Figure 11, which illustrates the three-dimensional structure of a semiconductor laser 100 formed by horizontally packaging multiple laser chips 111. As shown in Figure 11, after at least one fastener 160 is inserted into and fixed to a pressure block 150, an electrode block 120, and at least one thermally conductive welding block 112 in the laser unit 110, a laser module 190 is formed. The semiconductor laser 100 includes multiple laser modules 190, which are arranged horizontally. Among all the laser modules 190, the thermally conductive welding blocks 112 furthest from the pressure block 150 are integrally formed, that is, all the thermally conductive welding blocks 112 located at the bottom are integrally formed, thereby fixing all the laser chips 111 together to form an integral semiconductor laser 100.

[0089] A laser module 190 is formed by clamping and fixing a pressure block 150, an electrode block 120 and at least one thermally conductive welding block 112 in a laser unit 110 together with fasteners 160. Multiple laser modules 190 are arranged horizontally, and all thermally conductive welding blocks 112 that are farthest from the pressure block 150 are set as an integral structure to realize the packaging of multiple laser chips 111 after horizontal arrangement, thereby improving the output power of the semiconductor laser 100 and meeting more diversified product requirements.

[0090] For the embodiment shown in Figure 11, if you want to set up the flow channel 170, similar to the above embodiment, you can open an inlet 173 on each electrode block 120 and an outlet 174 on the bottom integral heat-conducting welding block 112. The flow channel 170 is connected between each electrode block 120 and the heat-conducting welding block 112 through a clamping sealing ring 171. Furthermore, to reduce the number of required coolant inlets 173, the horizontal distance between two adjacent laser modules 190 can be made closer, and a sealing ring 171 can be clamped between the electrode blocks 120 in both modules. This allows the flow channels on multiple electrode blocks 120 to be interconnected horizontally, thus requiring only one coolant inlet 173 to allow the coolant to flow through all laser modules 190. Alternatively, the electrode blocks 120 in all laser modules 190 can be integrated into a single structure, with the flow channels 170 on this integrated electrode block 120 connected to the flow channels 170 on each heat-conducting welding block 112. This also allows only one coolant inlet 173 to flow through all laser modules 190. Of course, the positions of the coolant inlet 173 and the outlet 174 can be interchanged.

[0091] In the embodiment shown in Figure 11, since multiple laser chips 111 need to be welded on the bottom heat-conducting welding block 112, when some of the laser chips 111 are damaged, it is not possible to replace the damaged laser chip 111 individually. Instead, the entire heat-conducting welding block 112 and all the laser chips 111 on it need to be replaced. This will undoubtedly increase the maintenance cost of the semiconductor laser 100 in the later stages.

[0092] In view of the above problems, the bottom heat-conducting welding block 112 may not be an integral structure. Instead, the bottom heat-conducting welding block 112 of each laser module 190 can adopt an independent structure. Similarly, as shown in Figure 10, a large heat-conducting base block 180 is set below all laser modules 190, and the fasteners 160 are further inserted into the heat-conducting base block 180 to fix all laser modules 190 together, forming the structure shown in Figure 12.

[0093] Based on the scheme shown in Figure 12, if we want to set up the flow channel 170, it is the same as the flow channel setting method mentioned above for the scheme in Figure 10. The structure of all laser units 110 is exactly the same, that is, the shape of the flow channel 170 in all heat-conducting welding blocks 112 is the same, so as to facilitate the mass production of the single structure of the laser unit 110. The liquid inlet 173 and the liquid outlet 174 are respectively set on the electrode block 120 and the heat-conducting base block 180.

[0094] Finally, based on the above description of the vertical stacking and horizontal arrangement of the laser chip 111, the laser chip 111 can also be configured as an array arranged in both vertical and horizontal directions, as shown in Figures 13 and 14. Figure 13 shows the bottom heat-conducting welding block 112 as an integral structure, while Figure 14 shows all the bottom heat-conducting welding blocks 112 as independent structures with a heat-conducting base block 180 at the bottom.

[0095] For the embodiment shown in Figure 13, if it is necessary to open the flow channel 170, the flow channels of each part in each laser module 190 can be interconnected by clamping sealing ring 171. Alternatively, the flow channels 170 of each laser module 190 can be interconnected in the horizontal direction by clamping sealing ring 171. Or, all laser modules 190 can be interconnected in the horizontal direction by using an integrated electrode block 120. The liquid inlet 173 and the liquid outlet 174 can be respectively set on the pressure block 150 and the bottom integrated heat-conducting welding block 112.

[0096] For the embodiment shown in Figure 14, if the flow channel 170 is opened, the specific connection method is the same as that in the embodiment of Figure 13. However, the liquid inlet 173 in the embodiment of Figure 14 can also be set on the heat-conducting base 180, or the liquid outlet 174 can be set on the heat-conducting base 180.

[0097] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and not to limit them. Although this application 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 embodiments of this application. In particular, as long as there is no structural conflict, the various technical features mentioned in the various embodiments can be combined in any way.

Claims

1. A semiconductor laser, characterized in that, include: Laser unit and electrode block; The laser unit includes a laser chip and a thermally conductive welding block. The laser chip is welded and fixed to the edge of one side of the thermally conductive welding block, and the laser chip and the thermally conductive welding block are electrically connected. The electrode block is fixedly connected to the thermally conductive welding block and insulated from each other. The electrode block is pressed against the side of the laser chip facing away from the thermally conductive welding block, and the laser chip and the electrode block form electrical contact.

2. The semiconductor laser according to claim 1, characterized in that, The front side of the laser chip is welded and fixed to the heat-conducting welding block.

3. The semiconductor laser according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the electrode block and the heat-conducting welding block are provided with flow channels, which are used to introduce coolant. A sealing ring is clamped and fixed between the electrode block and the heat-conducting welding block, and a coolant channel is formed inside the sealing ring to allow the flow channels on the electrode block and the flow channels on the heat-conducting welding block to communicate with each other.

4. The semiconductor laser according to claim 1, characterized in that, An insulating pad is sandwiched between the electrode block and the heat-conducting welding block; The semiconductor laser also includes a pressure block, with protrusions at opposite ends on one side of the pressure block. The pressure block presses against the side of the electrode block away from the laser unit via the protrusions, and one of the protrusions is positioned opposite to the laser chip. The semiconductor laser also includes fasteners that are inserted into and fixed in the pressure block, the electrode block, and the thermally conductive welding block to clamp the pressure block, the electrode block, and the laser unit together. The fasteners are insulated from the pressure block, the electrode block, and the thermally conductive welding block.

5. The semiconductor laser according to claim 4, characterized in that, The laser chip and the solder layer that welds the laser chip to the thermally conductive solder block together form an integral structure, and the shape and size of the insulating pad layer are the same as the integral structure. The insulating pad is disposed between the electrode block and the thermally conductive welding block, and is located at the edge opposite to the laser chip. Another protrusion is disposed opposite to the insulating pad.

6. The semiconductor laser according to claim 4, characterized in that, The fastener is positioned at the midpoint between the two protrusions at both ends.

7. The semiconductor laser according to claim 4, characterized in that, The laser unit consists of multiple laser units stacked sequentially, with the heat-conducting welding block in the previous laser unit pressing on the laser chip in the next laser unit and forming an electrical contact, so that the laser chips in all laser units are connected in series. The insulating pad is multiple, and the insulating pad is sandwiched between the heat-conducting welding block in the previous laser unit and the heat-conducting welding block in the next laser unit. The electrode block is pressed onto the laser chip in the first laser unit; The fasteners are inserted into and fixed to the pressure block, the electrode block, and the heat-conducting welding blocks in the multiple laser units to clamp them together.

8. The semiconductor laser according to claim 7, characterized in that, All thermally conductive welding blocks are provided with the same flow channels, and the flow channels on two adjacent thermally conductive welding blocks are connected to each other by a sealing ring sandwiched between them; The semiconductor laser also includes a heat-conducting base block, and a heat-conducting welding block in the last laser unit is disposed on the heat-conducting base block. The fastener passes through the pressure block, the electrode block, the heat-conducting welding blocks in the multiple laser units and the heat-conducting base block and fixes them to clamp them together. Both the electrode block and the heat-conducting base block are provided with flow channels. The flow channels on the electrode block are connected to the flow channels on the heat-conducting welding block in the first laser unit through a sealing ring sandwiched between the two. The flow channels on the heat-conducting base block are connected to the flow channels on the heat-conducting welding block in the last laser unit through a sealing ring sandwiched between the two. The electrode block and the heat-conducting base block are respectively provided with an inlet and an outlet that are connected to the flow channel above them.

9. The semiconductor laser according to claim 4, characterized in that, A laser module is formed by inserting at least one fastener into a pressure block, an electrode block, and a heat-conducting welding block in at least one laser unit and fixing them. The semiconductor laser includes multiple laser modules, which are arranged horizontally. In all laser modules, the heat-conducting welding blocks furthest from the pressure block are integrated into one structure; or, the semiconductor laser also includes a heat-conducting base block, all laser modules are disposed on the heat-conducting base block, and in each laser module, the fasteners penetrate into the pressure block, the electrode block, the heat-conducting welding blocks in at least one laser unit, and the heat-conducting base block and fix them to clamp them together.

10. The semiconductor laser according to claim 9, characterized in that, All thermally conductive welding blocks are provided with the same flow channels. In the same laser module, the flow channels on two adjacent thermally conductive welding blocks are connected to each other by a sealing ring sandwiched between them. The semiconductor laser includes a heat-conducting substrate. Both the electrode block and the heat-conducting substrate are provided with flow channels. In each laser module, the flow channels on the electrode block and the flow channels on the heat-conducting welding block in the first laser unit are interconnected by a sealing ring sandwiched between them. For all laser modules, the flow channels on the heat-conducting welding block in the last laser unit are interconnected with the flow channels on the heat-conducting substrate by a sealing ring sandwiched between them. The electrode block and the heat-conducting base block are respectively provided with an inlet and an outlet that are connected to the flow channel above them.

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