# US 11,121,770 B2 · Optical laser device

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- Number: US 11,121,770 B2
- Document ID: US11121770B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/840,063
- Filed: 2020-04-03
- Published: 2020-07-23
- Granted: 2021-09-14
- Earliest claimed: 2009-02-17
- Assignees: Lumentum Operations LLC
- Applicants: Lumentum Operations LLC
- Inventors: John R. Joseph; Kevin L. Lear; David Abell
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11121770B2

## CPC

- H04B 10/11: Arrangements specific to free-space transmission, i.e. transmission through air or vacuum
- G02B 5/02: Diffusing elements; Afocal elements
- G02B 5/32: Holograms used as optical elements
- G02B 27/0905: {Dividing and/or superposing multiple light beams}
- G02B 27/0944: {Diffractive optical elements, e.g. gratings, holograms (gratings per se G02B5/18; holograms used as optical elements per se G02B5/32)}
- G02B 27/10: Beam splitting or combining systems (polarising systems G02B27/28; mixing and splitting light signals using optical waveguides G02B6/28; {beam shaping, e.g. changing the cross-sectional area, by dividing or superposing multiple light beams G02B27/0905})
- H01S 5/005: {Optical components external to the laser cavity, specially adapted therefor, e.g. for homogenisation or merging of the beams or for manipulating laser pulses, e.g. pulse shaping (H01S5/026, H01S5/18388 take precedence)}
- H01S 5/02325: Mechanically integrated components on mount members or optical micro-benches
- H01S 5/423: {having a vertical cavity}
- H04B 10/503: {Laser transmitters}
- H01S 5/02345: Wire-bonding
- H01S 5/06226: {Modulation at ultra-high frequencies}
- H01S 5/50: Amplifier structures not provided for in groups H01S5/02 - H01S5/30
- H04B: TRANSMISSION
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- H01S: DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL

## Abstract

High power, high speed VCSEL arrays are employed in unique configurations of arrays and sub-arrays. Placement of a VCSEL array behind a lens allows spatial separation and directivity. Diffusion may be employed to increase alignment tolerance. Intensity modulation may be performed by operating groups of VCSEL emitters at maximum bias. Optical communications networks with high bandwidth may employ angular, spatial, and/or wavelength multiplexing. A variety of network topologies and bandwidths suitable for the data center may be implemented. Eye safe networks may employ VCSEL emitters may be paired with optical elements to reduce optical power density to eye safe levels.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An optical laser, comprising:
at least one transceiver system, comprising:
one or more clusters of laser emitters,
wherein a cluster of laser emitters, of the one or more clusters of laser emitters, comprises a plurality of sub-clusters of laser emitters,
wherein each sub-cluster, of the plurality of sub-clusters, is configured to emit one or more laser beams, and
wherein the plurality of sub-clusters comprise a plurality of binary weighted sub-clusters;
a plurality of drivers,
wherein each sub-cluster, of the plurality of sub-clusters, is controlled by a corresponding driver of the plurality of drivers, and
wherein the corresponding driver is independent of other sub-clusters of the plurality of sub-clusters;
an optical diffusing element configured to receive the one or more laser beams and output a diffuse cone for each of the one or more laser beams;
one or more collimating lenses configured to combine the diffuse cone into a bundle of laser beams; and
one or more clusters of laser detectors configured to receive the bundle of laser beams,
wherein each cluster of laser detectors, of the one or more clusters of laser detectors, is configured to be optically coupled with a corresponding cluster of laser emitters, of the one or more clusters of laser emitters, by the one or more collimating lenses.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The optical laser of claim 1, wherein the bundle of laser beams is configured to over-fill or under-fill one or more collection lenses based on an amount of translational tolerance.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The optical laser of claim 2, further comprising:
a photovoltaic device configured to surround each laser detector, of the one or more clusters of laser detectors, to collect excess laser energy when the bundle of laser beams is configured to over-fill the one or more collection lenses.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The optical laser of claim 1, wherein the bundle of laser beams is a combination of the one or more laser beams, and wherein the one or more laser beams in the combination are not coherent.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The optical laser of claim 1, wherein the at least one transceiver system further comprises:
one or more collection lenses configured to receive and focus the bundle of laser beams into a focused bundle of laser beams at a focal point behind a surface of the one or more clusters of laser detectors so that the focused bundle of laser beams forms a blur circle at the surface of the one or more clusters of laser detectors.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The optical laser of claim 5, wherein the focal point is based on a translational tolerance and an optical power of the focused bundle of laser beams.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The optical laser of claim 1, wherein each cluster of laser emitters, of the one or more clusters of laser emitters, include two or more vertical-cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) elements configured to be electrically connected in parallel and driven by a corresponding driver of the plurality of drivers.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The optical laser of claim 1, wherein:
the one or more clusters of laser emitters are centrally located on a surface and are driven by an independent controlling circuit; and
the one or more clusters of laser detectors are co-located distally to the one or more clusters of laser emitters.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The optical laser of claim 8, wherein the one or more clusters of laser emitters are arranged in a linear array.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The optical laser of claim 8, wherein the one or more clusters of laser emitters are arranged in a two-dimensional array and the one or more clusters of laser detectors form a perimeter around a plurality of laser emitters.

### Claim 11 (depends on 5)

The optical laser of claim 5, wherein the one or more collection lenses are configured to blur the focused bundle of laser beams based on an alignment tolerance.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The optical laser of claim 1, further comprising:
a second transceiver system, wherein the at least one transceiver system is symmetric with the second transceiver system.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The optical laser of claim 1, wherein a laser output of each sub-cluster, of the plurality of sub-clusters, increases in a binary fashion.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The optical laser of claim 1, wherein a laser output of a particular sub-cluster, of the plurality of sub-clusters, is increased in a binary fashion by increasing an output of a laser emitter of the particular sub-cluster.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The optical laser of claim 1, wherein a laser output of a particular sub-cluster, of the plurality of sub-clusters, is increased in a binary fashion by adjusting a quantity of laser emitters in the particular sub-cluster.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The optical laser of claim 1, wherein a first sub-cluster, of the plurality of sub-clusters, comprises two vertical-cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) emitters;
wherein a second sub-cluster, of the plurality of sub-clusters, comprises four VCSEL emitters; and
wherein a third sub-cluster, of the plurality of sub-clusters, comprises eight VCSEL emitters.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The optical laser of claim 16, wherein each VCSEL emitter, of the plurality of sub-clusters, has a same power output.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The optical laser of claim 16, wherein a particular lens, of the one or more collimating lenses, is configured to semi-collimate an output of at least one of the first sub-cluster, the second sub-cluster, or the third sub-cluster.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The optical laser of claim 1, wherein the at least one transceiver system further comprises:
a holographic optical element configured to distribute hotspots to an intensity uniform mixed beam.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The optical laser of claim 1, wherein a first sub-cluster, of the plurality of sub-clusters, comprises a different quantity of vertical-cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) emitters than a second sub-cluster of the plurality of sub-clusters.