Bottom-emitting vertical cavity surface emitting laser array with integrated directed beam diffuser

An optical device, comprising:

• a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) array including a plurality of VCSELs,
• wherein a first set of VCSELs of the plurality of VCSELs is connected to a first contact of the optical device and a second set of VCSELs of the plurality of VCSELs is connected to a second contact of the optical device;
• and
• an integrated optical element including a plurality of lens segments,
• wherein the integrated optical element is to direct beams provided by the plurality of VCSELs to a particular range of angles to create a diffusion pattern using the beams provided by the plurality of VCSELs,
• wherein a lens segment of the plurality of lens segments is to steer a beam from a VCSEL of the plurality of VCSELs at a respective particular angle in association with creating the diffusion pattern,
• wherein a second lens segment of the plurality of lens segments is adjacent to a first lens segment,
• wherein a third lens segment of the plurality of lens segments is adjacent to the second lens segment,
• wherein a fourth lens segment of the plurality of lens segments is adjacent to the third lens segment,
• wherein surfaces of the first lens segment and the second lens segment are sloped to cause beams from two respective VCSELs of the plurality of VCSELs to be steered at angles having opposite directions with respect to a surface of the VCSEL array such that:
• one of the beams, that corresponds to the first lens segment, extends toward a first edge of the diffusion pattern, and
• another of the beams, that corresponds to the second lens segment, extends toward a second edge of the diffusion pattern,
• wherein surfaces of the third lens segment and the fourth lens segment are sloped to cause beams from two respective VCSELs of the plurality of VCSELs to be steered at angles having a substantially same direction with respect to a surface of the VCSEL array such that:
• the beams associated with the third lens segment and the fourth lens segment, extend toward the first edge of the diffusion pattern.

An optical device, comprising:

• a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) array including a plurality of VCSELs,
• wherein a first set of VCSELs of the plurality of VCSELs is connected to a first contact of the optical device and a second set of VCSELs of the plurality of VCSELs is connected to a second contact of the optical device,
• wherein the first contact and the second contact are on different sides of the optical device;
• and
• an integrated optical element including a plurality of lens segments,
• wherein the integrated optical element is configured to direct beams provided by the plurality of VCSELs to a particular range of angles to create a diffusion pattern using the beams provided by the plurality of VCSELs,
• wherein a surface of a first lens segment is sloped to cause a beam from a first VCSEL of the plurality of VCSELs to be steered at a first angle toward a first edge of the diffusion pattern,
• wherein a second lens segment of the plurality of lens segments is adjacent to the first lens segment,
• wherein a surface of the second lens segment is sloped to cause a beam from a second VCSEL of the plurality of VCSELs to be steered at a second angle toward a second edge of the diffusion pattern,
• wherein a third lens segment of the plurality of lens segments is adjacent to the second lens segment, and
• wherein a surface of the third lens segment is sloped to cause a beam from a third VCSEL of the plurality of VCSELs to be steered at a third angle toward the first edge of the diffusion pattern.