QCW Laser Stack Sinter Joints for Precise Emitter Pitch Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional QCW laser stacks face challenges with misalignment, large tolerances, and the need for individual lens mounting due to soldering, leading to increased time and cost in manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
Employing sintering instead of soldering for joining methods in QCW laser stacks, using a predefined pitch pattern to align emitter subassemblies and enable the use of lens arrays, ensuring precise tolerances and reduced manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If soldering is used to join subassemblies, then electrical and thermal coverage is ensured, but alignment precision and stack thickness consistency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the joining method from soldering to sintering, which fundamentally alters the physical and chemical parameters of the joining process. Sintering operates at lower temperatures without liquid solder, enabling tighter tolerances and better alignment precision while maintaining electrical and thermal contact through direct metal-to-metal bonding at the microscopic level.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical soldering process with a sintering process that uses controlled compression and heat to fuse subassemblies. This substitution eliminates the need for liquid solder and associated alignment issues, achieving both reliable electrical/thermal coverage and high manufacturing precision through controlled mechanical compression during sintering.
2Manufacturing precision
If individual lenses are mounted on each diode, then beam quality is maintained, but manufacturing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual lens mounting operations into a single array lens mounting operation. By achieving high alignment precision through sintering, the patent enables mounting of lens arrays where multiple lenses are pre-aligned and mounted simultaneously, maintaining beam quality while dramatically reducing manufacturing steps, time, and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary alignment and positioning of subassemblies during the sintering process itself, establishing precise pitch relationships before lens mounting. This preliminary action enables the subsequent use of pre-fabricated lens arrays without requiring individual lens adjustment, streamlining the manufacturing process.
3Manufacturing precision
If tight tolerances are enforced on individual subassemblies, then stack consistency improves, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the tolerance accumulation problem from the individual subassembly manufacturing process and addresses it at the joining stage. By using sintering with controlled compression, the patent achieves tight overall stack tolerances without requiring each subassembly to be manufactured to extremely tight tolerances, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining stack consistency.
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
Achieves repeatable pitch distances with local tolerances of 2 to 20 micrometers, allowing for the use of lens arrays and prefabricated coolers, reducing labor and production costs while maintaining beam quality.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the plurality of emitter subassemblies are disposed parallel to one another and sintered to one another
Data Source
AI summary
A light emitting device, including a plurality of emitter subassemblies and a lens array, each emitter subassembly including a plate-shaped light emitter having two sides and configured to emit light from an edge, and at least one plate-shaped submount attached to at least one side of the plate-shaped light emitter. Each of the plurality of emitter subassemblies are disposed parallel to one another and sintered to one another in such a manner as to form a light emitting diode stack. A predefined pitch pattern defines distances between adjacent emitter subassemblies. The lens array is mounted on the light emitting diode stack and includes a plurality of lenses combined as a single unitary body. Distances between the lenses correspond to the distances defined by the predefined pitch pattern such that each of the plurality of lenses is aligned with a corresponding one of the plate-shaped light emitters.