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US 5,707,139 AGranted
Vertical cavity surface emitting laser arrays for illumination
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Company
InventorRoland H. Haitz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Arrays of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers ("VCSEL"s) used for illumination in both infra-red and visible light wavelengths are described. By using several different arrays, each array generating light of a different wavelength, a replacement for conventional lighting sources can be obtained. The present invention offers lower power consumption and longer operating lifetime than known lighting technologies.
Claims7
An infra-red illumination source comprising:
- a plurality of vertical cavity surface emitting laser chips, each chip comprised of a plurality of vertical cavity surface emitting laser elements, the elements on each chip emitting infra-red light and being coupled together so that they can be driven at least in parallel, the chips being coupled together by a combination of series and parallel couplings;
- and
- a power supply coupled to the chips for providing drive current to the elements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.