Optical Subassembly Having Side-Emitting Optical Fiber Coupled to High-Energy UV-C Laser Diode

A laser package comprising:

• a header base having first and second throughholes;
• a ground pin having one end connected to the header base;
• a heat sink having a top, a base, and first and second throughholes that pass through the base and not the top, the base of the heat sink being attached to the header base;
• an anode pin that passes through the first throughholes in the header base and heat sink with electrical insulation between the anode pin and the header base and heat sink;
• a cathode pin that passes through the second throughholes in the header base and heat sink with electrical insulation between the cathode pin and the header base and heat sink;
• a laser diode chip attached to the top of the heat sink, the laser diode chip being configured to emit UV-C laser light;
• a first wire that connects the UV-C laser diode chip to the anode pin;
• and
• a second wire that connects the UV-C laser diode chip to the cathode pin.

An optical disinfection system comprising:

• an electronics housing;
• a printed wiring board attached to the electronics housing and comprising a socket;
• a laser package plugged into the socket of the printed wiring board, the laser package comprising a laser diode chip configured to emit UV-C laser light;
• a first end section of a side-emitting optical fiber having a first end face;
• a first terminus surrounding the first end section;
• a second end section of a side-emitting optical fiber having a second end face;
• a second terminus surrounding the second end section;
• and
• an optical subassembly housing attached to the electronics housing, the optical subassembly housing having a first channel in which the first terminus is seated and a second channel in which the second terminus is seated,
• wherein the laser diode chip is disposed between the first and second end faces.

An assembly comprising:

• a printed wiring board comprising a socket;
• a laser package plugged into the socket of the printed wiring board, the laser package comprising an UV-C laser diode having first and second edges;
• a first end section of side-emitting optical fiber having a first end face;
• a second end section of side-emitting optical fiber having a second end face;
• and
• a housing which is configured to maintain the laser package and the first and second end sections of side-emitting optical fiber in fixed positional relationships such that the first end face confronts the first edge and the second end face confronts the second edge.