Inherently safe laser arrangement comprising a vertical cavity surface emitting laser

A laser arrangement comprising:

• an array of Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers arranged on a same semiconductor substrate, the Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers being arranged to emit laser light,
• wherein the Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers each comprise:
• a first electrode;
• a first distributed Bragg reflector;
• an active layer;
• a second distributed Bragg reflector;
• and
• a second electrode,
• wherein the active layer is sandwiched between the first distributed Bragg reflector and the second distributed Bragg reflector, and
• wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are arranged to provide an electrical current across the active layer to generate the laser light, and
• wherein the Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers are each bottom emitters which are arranged to emit the laser light through the semiconductor substrate, and
• an optical structure arranged to increase a laser emission angle of the laser light for eye safety of the laser arrangement,
• wherein the optical structure is an integrated part of a semiconductor layer structure of the laser arrangement, and
• wherein the optical structure comprises a surface structure of the semiconductor substrate,
• wherein a thickness of the semiconductor substrate is arranged such that laser light emitted by neighboring ones of the Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers intersect with each other in a plane of the surface structure, and
• wherein the surface structure is arranged such that a homogeneous emission of an emission surface of the semiconductor substrate is enabled.