VCSEL Array Layout With Shared Metal and Optimized Trench Spacing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The cost of VCSEL arrays with reduced pitch and higher density is high, and existing technologies struggle to efficiently fabricate these arrays while maintaining their optical and electrical performance.
Innovation Solution
The VCSEL array design includes a substrate with VCSEL elements and a trench surrounding them. The VCSEL elements share a part of a metal layer and have oxide apertures, with the trench distance optimized to reduce manufacturing costs and enhance performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If VCSEL arrays are made with reduced pitch and higher density to increase output power and sensing resolution, then the sensing range and detection depth are improved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
Adjacent VCSEL elements share a common metal layer structure, where the metal layer extends continuously across multiple elements. This merging of metal layers reduces the total metal material required and simplifies the fabrication process by eliminating separate metal deposition steps for each element, thereby reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining high density
Solution Approach 2:
The shared metal layer serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides electrical contact for multiple VCSEL elements, acts as a reflective layer for optical feedback, and serves as a structural support element. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed, simplifying fabrication and reducing cost
2Quantity of substance
If VCSEL arrays are made with reduced pitch and higher density, then the sensing resolution is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the metal layer fabrication into a single continuous structure that spans multiple VCSEL elements. This approach reduces fabrication complexity by eliminating the need to deposit separate metal layers for each element, making the manufacturing process more scalable to higher densities
Solution Approach 2:
While the metal layer is continuous, the oxide apertures are segmented into discrete regions for each VCSEL element. This segmentation allows each element to be independently configured with appropriate aperture sizes and positions, enabling high density while maintaining individual element control through a simplified unified metal structure
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 design reduces the manufacturing cost of high-density VCSEL arrays by eliminating the need for ion implantation and optimizing the trench distance, while maintaining the optical and electrical performance of the VCSEL elements.
Implementation Method 1
forming a first oxide aperture and a second oxide aperture of the first and second elements respectively
Data Source
AI summary
A VCSEL array includes adjacent first and second VCSEL elements and a trench surrounding the VCSEL arrays. The first and second VCSEL elements include a first output window and a second output window. The first VCSEL element includes a part of a metal layer shared by the first and second VCSEL elements. The distance between the inner edge of the trench and the center of the first output window is larger than half the distance between centers of the first and second output windows.