Monolithic Emitter Package Series VCSELs Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing light emitter packages face limitations in power efficiency and thermal management, particularly for high-power applications, where increasing the number of emitter chips requires substantial current, and traditional designs often suffer from epoxy failure and limited heat dissipation.
Innovation Solution
The development of a monolithic emitter package with a unitary body formed from thermally conductive materials like aluminum nitride or alumina, featuring a cavity design that allows multiple emitter chips to be connected in series, enhancing power-to-current ratio and utilizing extra voltage for high power applications, while incorporating vents for improved heat dissipation and optical elements for directed light emission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If the number of emitter chips is increased to achieve higher power output, then power output is improved, but current consumption increases substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The emitter package is divided into multiple discrete emitter chips (e.g., four VCSEL chips) that are arranged in a series electrical configuration within the cavity. This segmentation allows the total power output to be distributed across multiple lower-power emitters, reducing the current demand on any single emitter and on the driving circuitry while maintaining high aggregate power output.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional emitter package designs are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but epoxy failure occurs and heat dissipation is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The problematic epoxy material is completely removed from the emitter package structure. Instead of using epoxy to mount and electrically connect the emitter chips, the patent employs direct bonding techniques where the emitter chips are mounted directly to thermally conductive substrates and electrically connected through conductive adhesives or wire bonds, eliminating the reliability issues associated with epoxy degradation under thermal and electrical stress.
3Device complexity
If traditional emitter package designs are used, then device structure is simpler, but heat dissipation capability is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The emitter package employs composite material construction with thermally conductive substrates (such as aluminum nitride or alumina ceramics) combined with copper heat sinks and thermally conductive adhesives. This composite structure creates efficient thermal pathways that conduct heat away from the emitter chips through multiple layers of high thermal conductivity materials, significantly improving heat dissipation capability while maintaining a relatively simple overall package geometry.
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
This configuration enables increased power output with reduced current consumption, improved thermal management, and extended longevity by using the emitter package's monolithic structure for heat dissipation, suitable for applications like 3D scanning, LIDAR, and data transmission.
Implementation Method 1
a unitary body formed from a thermally conductive material, such as aluminum nitride or alumina
Implementation Method 2
one or more light emitting chips, such as one or more Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) chips
Implementation Method 3
each light emitting chip having one or more of light emitters (e.g., one or more laser emitters)
Implementation Method 4
incorporating vents for improved heat dissipation
Data Source
AI summary
An emitter package can include: a body having a bottom member, side members extending from the bottom member, and a top surface, wherein the body defines a cavity formed into the top surface and located between the bottom member and side members; the cavity having top side walls extending from the top surface to optic shelves, middle side walls extending from the optic shelves to contact shelves, and bottom side walls extending from the contact shelves to a base surface; electrical conductive pads on the base surface in the cavity; emitter chips on the electrical conductive pads, each emitter chip having one or more light emitters; shelf contact pads on the contact shelves; and electrical connector wires connected to and extending between the emitter chips and the shelf contact pads.