High-power vertical cavity surface emitting laser cluster

A laser cluster for high-power applications, comprising:

• an array of VCSELs including a center VCSEL and one or more peripheral VCSELs displaced from the center VCSEL;
• and
• a pair of common electrical contacts shared by said array of VCSELs;
• wherein each VCSEL in said array presents an emitting facet having a diameter in a range from about 5 mm to about 30 mm.

A process of fabricating a laser cluster for high-power applications, comprising the following steps:

• (A) providing an array of VCSELs in a hexagonal closest-packing arrangement;
• (B) connecting the array of VCSELs to a pair of common electrical contacts;
• and
• (C) coupling the array of VCSELs into a multimode optical fiber;
• wherein each VCSEL in the array presents an emitting facet having a diameter in a range from about 5 mm to about 30 mm, and
• the VCSELs in the array are separated by a distance in a range from about 10 mm to about 40 mm.

A package for a laser cluster, comprising:

• a housing;
• a submount in said housing;
• a laser cluster including an array of VCSELs mounted junction-side down on said submount so that said laser cluster presents a backside emitting surface;
• and
• a multimode optical fiber including a core, said multimode optical fiber passing through said housing and coupled onto said backside emitting surface;
• said laser cluster includes seven VCSELs positioned within a circular area, said circular area having a diameter which is substantially equal to the diameter of said core.

A process of fabricating a laser cluster for high-power applications, comprising the following steps:

• (A) providing an array of VCSELs;
• (B) connecting the array of VCSELs to a pair of common electrical contacts;
• and
• (C) coupling the array of VCSELs into a multimode optical fiber;
• wherein each VCSEL in the array presents an emitting facet having a diameter in a range from about 5 mm to about 30 mm.

A process of fabricating a laser cluster for high-power applications, comprising the following steps:

• (A) providing an array of VCSELs;
• (B) connecting the array of VCSELs to a pair of common electrical contacts;
• and
• (C) coupling the array of VCSELs into a multimode optical fiber;
• wherein the VCSELs in the array are separated by a distance in a range from about 10 mm to about 40 mm.