Light Source Module with Convergent Beam Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing light source modules suffer from uncontrollable pump beams propagating inside light guide bodies, leading to divergence and significant loss of converted emission light due to reflection back into the light guide body, which is not addressed in prior technologies.
Innovation Solution
A light source module with a convergent beam generating unit that creates a decreasing beam size, a light guide body, and an extraction part to refract or diffract the convergent pump beam for efficient exit and conversion by a wavelength conversion element, minimizing reflected emission light.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the pump beam is extracted from the light guide body toward the wavelength conversion element, then the converted emission light can be emitted, but the converted emission light is reflected back into the light guide body causing loss
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide body is divided into multiple regions with different functions: a first region for total internal reflection of the pump beam, and a second region with an extraction surface for extracting the converted emission light. This segmentation allows the pump beam to be guided efficiently while enabling selective extraction of the converted light without significant back-reflection loss.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of extracting the pump beam directly and dealing with back-reflection of converted light, the invention inverts the approach by allowing the pump beam to propagate through the light guide body and extracting the converted emission light through a specifically designed extraction surface, thereby minimizing the back-reflection problem.
2Ease of operation
If the pump beam propagates inside the light guide body, then the beam can be guided to the wavelength conversion element, but the beam becomes uncontrollable and diverges
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the light guide body are assigned different optical properties: the first region has high reflectivity for guiding the pump beam, while the second region has an extraction surface with specific optical characteristics for controlled emission. This local differentiation maintains beam stability while enabling controlled extraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The extraction surface is configured at a specific angle and position relative to the pump beam propagation direction, utilizing spatial dimensionality to separate the extraction path from the propagation path. This dimensional separation allows controlled extraction without disrupting the overall beam guidance and convergence.
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 reduces the proportion of converted emission light reflected back into the light guide body, enhancing the efficiency of the light source module by controlling the beam convergence and exit path.
Implementation Method 1
a light guide body that guides, to a wavelength conversion element, a pump beam having been emitted from a light source and propagating inside the light guide body
Implementation Method 2
a wavelength conversion element which converts a wavelength of the pump beam and emits converted emission light
Implementation Method 3
an extraction part which causes the convergent pump beam, having propagated inside the light guide body, to exit from the light guide body
Data Source
AI summary
A light source module includes: a convergent beam generating unit which generates, based on a pump beam emitted from a light source, a convergent pump beam having a beam size that decreases as the convergent pump beam propagates; a light guide body inside which the convergent pump beam, having been generated by the convergent beam generating unit, propagates; an extraction part which causes the convergent pump beam, having propagated inside the light guide body, to exit from the light guide body; and a wavelength conversion element which converts a wavelength of the convergent pump beam, being incident on the wavelength conversion element through the extraction part, and emits, through the light guide body, the convergent pump beam whose wavelength has been converted.