# US 12,007,504 B2 · 3D and LiDAR sensing modules

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- Number: US 12,007,504 B2
- Document ID: US12007504B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/801,231
- Filed: 2020-02-26
- Published: 2020-09-03
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2019-03-01
- Assignees: Vixar, Inc.
- Applicants: Vixar, Inc.
- Inventors: Matthew Dummer; Klein L. Johnson; Mary Hibbs-Brenner; Dadi Setiadi; Benjamin Olson
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12007504B2

## CPC

- G01S 7/4815: {using multiple transmitters}
- G01S 7/4813: {Housing arrangements}
- H01S 5/02257: using windows, e.g. specially adapted for back-reflecting light to a detector inside the housing
- H01S 5/0234: Up-side down mountings, e.g. Flip-chip, epi-side down mountings or junction down mountings
- H01S 5/0264: {for monitoring the laser-output}
- H01S 5/04256: {characterised by the configuration}
- H01S 5/06203: {Transistor-type lasers (H01S5/0608 takes precedence)}
- H01S 5/06835: {Stabilising during pulse modulation or generation}
- H01S 5/18305: {with emission through the substrate, i.e. bottom emission}
- H01S 5/3095: {Tunnel junction}
- H01S 5/32: comprising PN junctions, e.g. hetero- or double- heterostructures (H01S5/34, H01S5/36 take precedence)
- H01S 5/423: {having a vertical cavity}
- H10F 55/20: wherein the electric light source controls the radiation-sensitive semiconductor devices, e.g. optocouplers
- H01S 5/0014: {Measuring characteristics or properties thereof (measuring techniques per se G01J, G01K, G01N, G01R)}
- H01S 5/02212: Can-type, e.g. TO-CAN housings with emission along or parallel to symmetry axis
- H01S 5/02216: Butterfly-type, i.e. with electrode pins extending horizontally from the housings
- H01S 5/02325: Mechanically integrated components on mount members or optical micro-benches
- H01S 5/02345: Wire-bonding
- H01S 5/02469: {Passive cooling, e.g. where heat is removed by the housing as a whole or by a heat pipe without any active cooling element like a TEC}
- H01S 5/04257: {having positive and negative electrodes on the same side of the substrate}
- H01S 5/0428: {for applying pulses to the laser}
- H01S 5/0683: by monitoring the optical output parameters
- H01S 5/18311: {using selective oxidation}
- H01S 5/18377: {comprising layers of different kind of materials, e.g. combinations of semiconducting with dielectric or metallic layers}
- H01S 5/18383: {with periodic active regions at nodes or maxima of light intensity}
- H01S 5/18386: {Details of the emission surface for influencing the near- or far-field, e.g. a grating on the surface}
- H01S 5/18388: {Lenses}
- H01S 2301/176: Specific passivation layers on surfaces other than the emission facet
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- 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
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION

## Abstract

Systems and methods disclosed herein include an illumination module for 3D sensing applications. The illumination module may include an array of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) emitting light, a driver configured to provide current to the array of VCSELs, and an optical element configured to receive the light emitted by the array of VCSELs and output a light pattern from the illumination module.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An illumination module, comprising:
an array of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) emitting light, wherein at least one VCSEL in the array of VCSELs comprises a multi junction VCSEL;
a driver configured to provide current to the array of VCSELs; and
an optical element configured to receive the light emitted by the array of VCSELs and output a light pattern from the illumination module;
wherein the array of VCSELs is segmented into a first segment of VCSELs configured to emit light and a second segment of VCSELs configured to detect light emitted by the first segment of VCSELs.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The illumination module of claim 1, wherein the VCSELs in the first segment of VCSELs are forward biased and the VCSELs in the second segment of VCSELs are reverse biased.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The illumination module of claim 1, wherein at least one VCSEL in the first segment of VCSELs is a multi junction VCSEL.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The illumination module of claim 1, wherein the optical element is integrated into the array of VCSELs.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The illumination module of claim 4, wherein the array of VCSELs is flip-chip bonded on a silicon interposer that is connected to the driver, wherein the silicon interposer includes a photodetector.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The illumination module of claim 1, wherein the multi-junction VCSEL comprises:
a substrate;
a bottom mirror;
a top mirror;
an active region between the top mirror and the bottom mirror, wherein the active region comprises more than one set of quantum wells; and
a tunnel junction between the sets of quantum wells.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The illumination module of claim 1, wherein the optical element converts an emitted circular beam into a rectangular field of view.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The illumination module of claim 1, wherein the VCSELs of at least one of the arrays are at least partially bottom-emitting.

### Claim 9

An illumination module, comprising:
an array of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) emitting light, wherein at least one VCSEL in the array of VCSELs comprises a multi junction VCSEL,
a driver configured to provide current to the array of VCSELs,
an optical element configured to receive the light emitted by the array of VCSELs and output a light pattern from the illumination module, the optical element being integrated into the array of VCSELs, and
a photodetector located on top of the optical element.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The illumination module of claim 9, wherein the optical element is deposited onto a substrate of the array of VCSELs.

### Claim 11

An illumination module, comprising:
an array of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) emitting light, wherein at least one VCSEL in the array of VCSELs comprises a multi junction VCSEL;
a driver configured to provide current to the array of VCSELs; and
an optical element configured to receive the light emitted by the array of VCSELs and output a light pattern from the illumination module, the optical element being integrated into the array of VCSELs;
wherein the array of VCSELs is flip-chip bonded on a substrate that includes the driver and a photodetector.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The illumination module of claim 11, wherein the photodetector is located adjacent to the array of VCSELs.

### Claim 13

A multi junction VCSEL comprising:
a substrate;
a bottom mirror;
a top mirror;
an active region between the top mirror and the bottom mirror, wherein the active region comprises more than one set of quantum wells, wherein each set of quantum wells is separated by a confinement layer; and
a reverse biased tunnel junction between the sets of quantum wells, wherein the reverse biased tunnel junction is placed in the middle of the confinement layer;
wherein the p- and n-doping on each side of the reversed bias tunnel junction has a value of 10 e19 / cm3 or higher.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The VCSEL of claim 13, wherein the active region comprises two sets of quantum wells and further comprises two forward biased p-n junctions centered on the two sets of quantum wells.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The VCSEL of claim 13, wherein the quantum wells are positioned at the peak of the electric field and a reversed bias tunnel junction is positioned at a minimum of an electric field.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The VCSEL of claim 13, wherein each the bottom mirror and the top mirror are a Distributed Bragg Reflector (DBR) mirror composed of alternating layers of different refractive index in which each layer thickness is 1/4 of the emission wavelength.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The VCSEL of claim 16, wherein the number of periods in the DBR mirrors will be chosen so that the top DBR mirror will be highly reflective, while the bottom mirror closest to the substrate will be slightly less reflective.

### Claim 18 (depends on 13)

The VCSEL of claim 13, wherein the VCSEL is a bottom emitting VCSEL.

### Claim 19 (depends on 13)

The VCSEL of claim 13, wherein each set of quantum wells is composed of InGaAs.

### Claim 20 (depends on 13)

The VCSEL of claim 13, further comprising metal contacts deposited on top of the substrate and on top of the surface of the top mirror,
wherein a top metal contact may completely cover the VCSEL mesa, while the bottom metal contact will be patterned to leave open windows for light to be emitted through the bottom.