Hermetic Dual Tunable Laser Assembly for Ultra-Small Optical Packaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing optical transmission systems face challenges in achieving ultra-small form factors for tunable lasers without compromising performance, particularly in applications like QSFP DD and nano-ITLA, where high performance and compactness are required.
Innovation Solution
A hermetically sealed dual laser module with a volume of less than 0.15 cubic centimeters, incorporating a gain medium module, collimate lens, etalons, actuator, bandpass filter, beam splitter, reflection mirror, and isolator, along with efficient thermal management and integrated optics, to achieve compactness and high performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If traditional laser packaging is used, then performance is maintained, but volume is too large for ultra-small form factor applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting by placing the etalon inside the laser cavity and integrating multiple optical components (gain chip, etalon, collimating lens, isolator) within a single hermetic package. The etalon is positioned within the external cavity to provide frequency selection without requiring separate packaging, achieving ultra-small form factor while maintaining tuning capability and performance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple laser modules (first and second tunable laser modules) and their associated optical components into a single integrated hermetic package. The gain chips, etalons, collimating lenses, and isolators are merged into one compact assembly, reducing overall volume from traditional separate packaging to ultra-small form factor while maintaining all required functions
2Volume of moving object
If component integration is increased to reduce size, then volume decreases, but thermal management becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts thermal management as a separate consideration by providing the hermetic package with thermal coupling to a heat sink. The package is thermally coupled to a cold plate or heat sink structure that conducts heat away from the integrated components, allowing dense integration while maintaining thermal control through dedicated thermal pathways
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a thermal interface medium between the integrated components and the heat sink. The hermetic package serves as an intermediary structure that provides both mechanical support for the integrated components and thermal conduction pathway to the cold plate, separating the optical functions from thermal management while enabling both to coexist in the ultra-small form factor
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables a compact, high-performance tunable laser assembly suitable for dense-wavelength division-multiplexing networks, reducing deployment barriers and integration costs while maintaining reliability and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a gain median module to generate a broadband optical spectrum covering a predetermined wavelength range
Implementation Method 2
a collimate lens turning a diverging beam into a collimated beam
Implementation Method 3
a pair of etalons to tune frequency
Implementation Method 4
a bandpass filter to block one or more frequencies outside the predetermined wavelength range
Implementation Method 5
a beam splitter to split a percentage of the beam to a photodetector
Data Source
AI summary
A laser system includes a housing with first and second sides and an end; and first and second tunable laser modules mounted on first and second sides respectively and, each laser module having a connector facing the end. The result is a hermetically sealed dual laser module with less than 0.15 cubic centimeters.