Self-separating laser diode assembly and method
OwnerPeng-Chih Li, Todd Terry +1inventors
InventorsPeng-Chih Li, Todd Terry, Robert Lang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A laser diode bar is separated into laser diode dice after bonding the laser diode bar to a submount. In one embodiment a GaAs laser diode bar is soldered to a diamond submount with gold—tin solder. The difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the submount material and the laser bar material is sufficient to create tensile stress in the laser diode bar and cleave the laser diode bar into dice as the assembly cools from the soldering temperature. Use of an electrically insulating submount material allows the laser diodes to be connected in series. Diamond blanks that are essentially un-metallized submounts are used during assembly to avoid bowing, or “smile”, of the laser diode assembly.
Claims22
A method of fabricating a laser diode assembly, the method comprising:
- bonding a laser diode bar having at least a first laser diode and a second laser diode to a submount;
- and then
- separating a first laser diode chip and a second laser diode chip from the laser diode bar, the first laser diode chip and the second laser diode chip being bonded to the submount.
A method of fabricating a laser diode assembly, the method comprising:
- defining a cleave location on a laser diode bar having at least a first laser diode and a second laser diode
- soldering the laser diode bar to a submount at a first region of the submount and at a second region of the submount with solder so as to leave a solder-free window between the first laser diode and the second laser diode to form a submount-laser bar assembly
- cooling the submount-laser bar assembly below a melting point of the solder;
- and
- cleaving the laser diode bar into a first laser diode chip and a second laser diode chip.
A laser diode assembly comprising:
- a submount of an electrically insulating material having a submount surface with a first metallized region and a second metallized region, the first metallized region being electrically isolated from the second metallized region;
- a first laser diode chip soldered to the first metallized region with a solder;
- a second diode chip soldered to the second metallized region with the solder, the first laser diode chip being separated from the second diode chip by
- a gap, and the first laser diode chip being electrically connected in series to the second laser diode chip.
A laser diode assembly comprising:
- a diamond submount with a first metallization region and a second metallization region;
- a first laser diode chip soldered to the first metallization region with gold—tin solder having a melting point of about 280° C.;
- and
- a second laser diode chip soldered to the second metallization region with the gold—tin solder, wherein the first laser diode chip is electrically connected to the second laser diode chip in series.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.