Planar Laser Array Beam Shaping via Deflection Mirrors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beam shaping devices for laser elements suffer from inhomogeneous heat dissipation, complex fabrication, and beam quality issues due to stepped or wedge designs, leading to temperature-dependent wavelength displacement and inefficient coupling into optical fibers.
Innovation Solution
A device with a planar heat dissipation body and laser elements arranged on a contiguous section, where each laser element emits a ray bundle with a fast-axis and slow-axis divergence, reflected at an elevation angle between 0° and 90°, allowing the bundles to be stacked in a single plane with a rectangular beam cross-section envelope, enabling homogeneous heat dissipation and improved beam quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If a stepped design of the heat dissipation body is used to stack laser elements at different heights, then the ray bundles can be deflected to form a common bundle, but the heat dissipation becomes very inhomogeneous with temperature differences of 1-4°C or more between steps
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from a stepped vertical stacking approach to a planar arrangement where laser elements are positioned in a common plane on the heat dissipation body. The ray bundles are then deflected using mirrors to achieve the stacked configuration in the optical path, rather than physically stacking the laser elements vertically. This separates the thermal management function (planar arrangement for uniform heat dissipation) from the optical function (deflected stacking for beam shaping).
2Shape
If a stepped design of the heat dissipation body is used, then ray bundles can be deflected to form a common bundle, but the fabrication becomes very complicated and only possible to an accuracy of approximately a few tens of μm
Solution Approach 1:
The invention moves the complexity from the mechanical fabrication of stepped structures to the optical alignment of deflection mirrors. The heat dissipation body itself can be a simple planar structure that is easier to manufacture with high precision, while the ray bundle stacking is achieved through optical deflection using mirrors positioned in the optical path.
3Ease of operation
If wedge elements are used to arrange laser elements on a planar heat dissipation body, then the ray bundles can be aligned horizontally, but the alignment becomes complicated and heat dissipation is uneven in each individual laser element
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the alignment function from the mechanical structure (wedge elements) and implements it separately using optical deflection mirrors. The laser elements can be简单地 arranged on a planar heat dissipation body for uniform heat dissipation, while the ray bundle alignment and stacking is achieved through the mirror system in the optical path.
4Ease of operation
If wedge elements are used for alignment, then ray bundles can be aligned horizontally, but the heat dissipation is degraded as a result of the additional joints in the heat dissipation path
Solution Approach 1:
The invention separates the alignment function from the thermal path by using optical mirrors for ray bundle alignment instead of mechanical wedge elements. This eliminates the additional joints in the heat dissipation path, maintaining thermal contact integrity and improving heat dissipation reliability.
5Shape
If a deflection mirror arrangement with at least two reflections per laser element is used, then the ray bundles can be stacked to form a rectangular envelope, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies different deflection angles to different laser elements based on their positions in the array. By optimizing the mirror angles locally for each element, the ray bundles are stacked to form a rectangular envelope with reduced overall device complexity compared to uniform two-reflection arrangements for all elements.
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 solution provides homogeneous heat dissipation, simplifies fabrication, and enhances beam quality by aligning laser elements in a common plane, reducing temperature-dependent wavelength displacement and improving coupling efficiency into optical fibers.
Implementation Method 1
a reflection element is associated with each laser element, the former being arranged such that the ray bundles of the individual laser elements extend parallel to one another and at an elevation angle of greater than 0° and less than 90° with respect to the planar section after exactly one reflection at the associated reflection element
Data Source
AI summary
A device for beam shaping includes a heat dissipation body having an upper side with a planar section and a plurality of laser elements next to one another on the planar section of the upper side that respectively emit a ray bundle having a fast-axis divergence and, perpendicular thereto, a slow-axis divergence. A reflection element is arranged such that the ray bundles of the individual laser elements extend parallel to one another and at an elevation angle of greater than 0° and less than 90° with respect to the planar section after exactly one reflection at the associated reflection element. The reflected ray bundles are stacked in the optical path downstream of the reflection elements in a first plane perpendicular to the beam direction and a connecting line, lying in the first plane, of the centers of the reflected ray bundles extends perpendicular to the direction of the slow axis.