Co-Located Optoelectronic Devices for Thermal Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Optoelectronic devices, such as tunable lasers, face challenges with excess real estate and thermal management, leading to decreased yield and increased manufacturing costs due to defects and inefficient heat dissipation.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a second optoelectronic device on the same chip as the first, in thermal communication, with electrical circuitry controlling both devices to maintain a stable temperature of the first device, allowing for thermal compensation and improved performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a larger chip is used for better thermal management, then heat dissipation is improved, but the amount of wasted space increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the thermal management function with an additional optoelectronic device (such as a laser diode) on the same chip. This second device serves dual purposes: it generates heat that compensates for thermal losses in the first device, and it utilizes the excess chip area that would otherwise be wasted. By combining thermal management with functional device operation, the patent resolves the contradiction between needing larger area for heat dissipation and minimizing wasted space.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful effect of heat generation (which normally requires dissipation) into a beneficial thermal compensation mechanism. The second optoelectronic device generates heat that is deliberately used to maintain thermal balance with the first device, transforming what is typically a waste product into a useful resource for stabilizing operating temperature and compensating for thermal losses.
2Area of moving object
If a smaller footprint is used for the optoelectronic device, then real estate utilization is improved, but thermal management capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines thermal management functionality with the operational function of a second optoelectronic device. By placing both devices on the same chip with thermal communication between them, the system achieves effective thermal management without requiring a larger overall footprint, as the thermal control is integrated rather than separate.
Solution Approach 2:
The second optoelectronic device serves itself by generating heat that directly benefits the first device's thermal stability. The devices provide thermal compensation to each other through their operational heat generation, creating a self-regulating thermal system that does not require external thermal management infrastructure, thereby maintaining compact footprint.
3Temperature
If electrical signals are adjusted to control temperature of the first device, then temperature stability is improved, but the complexity of electrical circuitry increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback control system where electrical circuitry monitors and adjusts the electrical signals to both optoelectronic devices based on thermal conditions. The circuitry controllably adjusts the first electrical signals and second electrical signals to maintain optimal temperature balance, using feedback from temperature sensors or thermal modeling to regulate the heat generation of the second device and the operation of the first device.
4Temperature
If the second optoelectronic device is used for heat compensation, then thermal balance is improved, but the device cannot be used for optical signal generation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the second optoelectronic device with multi-functionality in mind. While its primary role is thermal compensation through heat generation, the device is configured to potentially provide optical signals under certain operating conditions. The electrical circuitry can selectively operate the second device in different modes - primarily as a heat source for thermal balance, but also capable of optical signal generation when needed, thereby achieving both thermal management and optical functionality from a single device.
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 approach increases chip yield, reduces manufacturing costs, and stabilizes the temperature of optoelectronic devices, enhancing their performance by maintaining optical intensity and wavelength within target ranges.
Implementation Method 1
the second optoelectronic device responsive to the second electrical signals by generating heat
Implementation Method 2
the first optoelectronic device responsive to the first electrical signals by generating optical signals
Data Source
AI summary
An optical apparatus comprising at least two optoelectronic devices fabricated on the same substrate and in thermal communication with each other. A first optoelectronic device is configured to generate optical signals and provide them to an optical system via an optical output port. A second optoelectronic device is configured to provide heat compensation for the first optoelectronic device. An electrical circuitry provides first electrical signals to the first optoelectronic device and second electrical signals to the second optoelectronic device. The electrical circuitry is configured to adjust at least the second electrical signals to controllably adjust a temperature of the first optoelectronic device.