Semiconductor array imager for printing systems

A laser imager for a printing system, comprising:

• more than one hundred independently addressable lasers arranged in a linear array on a common substrate chip, wherein the independently addressable lasers are vertical cavity surface emitting lasers including an oblong aperture and more than one aperture per control channel;
• driver electronics embodied in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC);
• a dedicated control channel associated with an address trace line to support communication from the driver electronics with each independently addressable laser of the independently addressable lasers;
• and
• optical elements arranged in a linear lens array and configured to capture and focus light, forming an image of the independently addressable lasers onto an imaging member at an optical intensity larger than 20 W/mm2.

A laser imaging method, comprising:

• providing lasers comprising more than 100 independently addressable lasers tiled together in a linear laser array on a common substrate chip, a dedicated control channel associated with an address trace line to support communication from driver electronics with each independently addressable laser of the independently addressable lasers, and optical elements configured to capture and focus light from the independently addressable lasers, wherein the independently addressable lasers are vertical cavity surface emitting lasers including an oblong aperture and more than one aperture per control channel and wherein the optical elements are arranged in a linear lens array and operate together with the lasers to create an image from the independently addressable lasers onto an imaging member with an optical intensity larger than 20 W/mm2;
• depositing a fountain solution provided from vapor phase module onto a surface of the imaging member;
• digitally patterning the fountain solution with an image based on electrical current provided by the driver electronics using laser light emitting from the linear laser array, wherein the imaging member becomes heated by the light and the fountain solution selectively evaporates from hot portions of the imaging member and remains on cold portions of the imaging member as a negative image of the image on the imaging member based on a digital pattern lased from the light of the linear array via the optical elements;
• extracting fountain solution vapor via a vacuum source to prevent re-condensation of the fountain solution on the imaging member;
• transferring high viscosity ink from an inking source to the imaging member, wherein the high viscosity ink forms on the imaging member and is rejected, wherein fountain solution remains on the imaging member;
• and
• transferring the high viscosity ink from the imaging member to a substrate leaving an 1:1 copy of the image on the substrate.