GB2245377A - An optoelectronic system - Google Patents
An optoelectronic system Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2245377A GB2245377A GB9013740A GB9013740A GB2245377A GB 2245377 A GB2245377 A GB 2245377A GB 9013740 A GB9013740 A GB 9013740A GB 9013740 A GB9013740 A GB 9013740A GB 2245377 A GB2245377 A GB 2245377A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- support means
- optoelectronic device
- optoelectronic
- laser
- predetermined alignment
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
- 230000005693 optoelectronics Effects 0.000 title claims abstract description 27
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 11
- 239000000835 fiber Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 5
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 claims description 8
- 239000012212 insulator Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000004593 Epoxy Substances 0.000 description 2
- 125000003700 epoxy group Chemical group 0.000 description 2
- 229920000647 polyepoxide Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 229910000679 solder Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 238000013459 approach Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000005494 condensation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000009833 condensation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001595 contractor effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008878 coupling Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010168 coupling process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005859 coupling reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000006073 displacement reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000003384 imaging method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000013307 optical fiber Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012634 optical imaging Methods 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L33/00—Semiconductor devices having potential barriers specially adapted for light emission; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
- H01L33/48—Semiconductor devices having potential barriers specially adapted for light emission; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof characterised by the semiconductor body packages
- H01L33/64—Heat extraction or cooling elements
- H01L33/645—Heat extraction or cooling elements the elements being electrically controlled, e.g. Peltier elements
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
- G02B6/42—Coupling light guides with opto-electronic elements
- G02B6/4201—Packages, e.g. shape, construction, internal or external details
- G02B6/4202—Packages, e.g. shape, construction, internal or external details for coupling an active element with fibres without intermediate optical elements, e.g. fibres with plane ends, fibres with shaped ends, bundles
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
- G02B6/42—Coupling light guides with opto-electronic elements
- G02B6/4201—Packages, e.g. shape, construction, internal or external details
- G02B6/4204—Packages, e.g. shape, construction, internal or external details the coupling comprising intermediate optical elements, e.g. lenses, holograms
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
- H01L31/02—Details
- H01L31/024—Arrangements for cooling, heating, ventilating or temperature compensation
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01S—DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL
- H01S5/00—Semiconductor lasers
- H01S5/02—Structural details or components not essential to laser action
- H01S5/024—Arrangements for thermal management
- H01S5/02407—Active cooling, e.g. the laser temperature is controlled by a thermo-electric cooler or water cooling
- H01S5/02415—Active cooling, e.g. the laser temperature is controlled by a thermo-electric cooler or water cooling by using a thermo-electric cooler [TEC], e.g. Peltier element
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Optics & Photonics (AREA)
- Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
- Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
- Power Engineering (AREA)
- Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Optical Couplings Of Light Guides (AREA)
- Semiconductor Lasers (AREA)
Abstract
An optoelectronic system comprising a thin, flexible and thermally conductive strip or beam 7 having a first portion attached to a thermoelectric cooler 2 and a second portion attached to support means 5, an optoelectronic device 1 mounted on said second portion, said second portion being thermally insulated at 6 from said support means 5 and optical means 2, e.g. a lens or a lensed fibre, arranged in predetermined alignment with said optoelectronic device 1, the coefficients of expansion and the dimensions of said support means 5 and said optical means 2 being such that said predetermined alignment remains unaltered in response to any changes in temperature of the system. The optoelectronic device may be a laser and a photodiode may also be mounted on the second portion to detect light from the laser. <IMAGE>
Description
An Optoelectronic System
The invention relates to an optoelectronic system.
Temperature control of an optoelectronic device by means of a Peltier cooler presents a number of mechanical design problems.
A major requirement for an optoelectronic device optically coupled to a lensing system is to maintain its precise position with respect to the lensing system even though the temperature of the system will vary with respect to the temperature controlled optoelectronic device.
Two main approaches to controlling the optoelectronic device temperature are possible; one is to limit control to the device only, and the other is to include the optical system within the temperature controlled structure. The latter is commonly used but requires a large amount of power to control the large mass of the system and for situations where cooling below the dew point occurs an hermetic box is needed to prevent condensation on the optical surfaces.
Controlling the temperature of the optoelectronic device itself presents an alignment problem because as the structure holding the lensing system expands and contracts with temperature the optoelectronic device itself stays at the same temperature and therefore relatively fixed except for the expansion and contraction effects of the Peltier cooler upon which it is usually positioned.
It is an object of this invention to provide an optoelectronic system, in which the optoelectronic device is temperature controlled by a thermoelectric cooler and in which a predetermined alignment between the optoelectronic device and the lensing system remains unaltered in response to any changes in the temperature of the system.
According to the invention there is provided an optoelectronic system comprising a flexible and thermally conductive strip or beam having a first portion attached to a thermoelectric cooler and a second portion attached to support means, an optoelectronic device mounted on said second portion, said second portion being thermally insulated from said support means and optical means arranged in predetermined alignment with said optoelectronic device, the coefficients of expansion and the dimensions of said support means and said optical means being such that said predetermined alignment remains unaltered in response to any changes in temperature of the system.
The invention will now be described further by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 illustrates an optoelectronic system according to the invention; and
Figure 2 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 1 illustrates how the invention can be used to allow an optoelectronic device 1 mounted on a thin, flexible and thermally conductive strip or beam 7 to remain at the focus of an optical imaging system such as lens 2 while its temperature is controlled by means of a thermoelectric cooler 3. The complete assembly is built on a metal platform 4 for support which also acts as a heat sink for the thermoelectric cooler 3. The lens 2 in this example is attached directly onto the metal platform 4 as is the metal pillar 5 which supports the device 1. For this arrangement it is necessary to match the thermal expansion of the device support, i.e. the metal pillar 5, to that of the lens 2 itself since it is the expansion of the lens 2 that will cause a vertical displacement of the optical axis.An insulator 6 is placed between the thermal beam 7 and the metal pillar 5 to prevent transfer of heat between them. Epoxies can be used to attach the various component parts together but the ones chosen for the thermoelectric cooler 3 joints should have good thermal conductivity. Solders can also be used in the assembly but the insulator must have surfaces which are solderable.
The invention may also be used in systems where the imaging system is very small or is integral with an optical fibre. Figure 2 shows a typical arrangement for optically coupling a lensed fibre 8 to an optical device such as a laser 9 which requires a monitor photodiode 10 to detect light emitted from its back facet. In this case use of the invention allows both the laser 9 and the monitor photodiode 10 to be temperature controlled and held in the correct orientation to each other. The laser 9 and the photodiode 10 are mounted on a thin, flexible and thermally conductive beam 13 which is attached to a thermoelectric cooler 14. The coefficient of expansion of the device support pillar 11 is matched to that of a metal member 12 supporting the lensed fibre 8 since it is mainly these that determine the relative heights of the device and the fibre. Again solders or epoxies can be used to attach the various component parts. In this arrangement the shape of the thermal beam 13 as well as the material from which it is made are important; the "arm" onto which the laser is bonded must be of such a width to match the length of the laser so that the front and back facets are not obscured and the photodiode "arm" must correctly position the monitor photodiode to collect sufficient light.
An optoelectronic device may be mounted at right angle to the supporting structure such as a TO style header. A monitor photodiode may also be incorporated in this arrangement.
Claims (8)
1. An optoelectronic system comprising a flexible and thermally conductive strip or beam having a first portion attached to a thermoelectric cooler and a second portion attached to support means, an optoelectronic device mounted on said second portion, said second portion being thermally insulated from said support means and optical means arranged in predetermined alignment with said optoelectronic device, the coefficients of expansion and the dimensions of said support means and said optical means being such that said predetermined alignment remains unaltered in response to any changes in temperature of the system.
2. A system according to Claim 1, in which said thermoelectric cooler is a Peltier cooler.
3. A system according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, including insulator means placed between said second portion and said support means to thermally insulate the strip or beam from the support means.
4. A system according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, including a metal platfom on which components of said system are mounted and wherein said support means is a metal pillar.
5. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, in which said optoelectronic device is a laser.
6. A system according to Claim 5, including a photodiode mounted on said second portion of the strip or beam and arranged to detect light emitted from said laser.
7. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, in which said optical means is a lens or lensed fibre.
8. An optoelectronic system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9013740A GB2245377A (en) | 1990-06-20 | 1990-06-20 | An optoelectronic system |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9013740A GB2245377A (en) | 1990-06-20 | 1990-06-20 | An optoelectronic system |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB9013740D0 GB9013740D0 (en) | 1991-02-20 |
| GB2245377A true GB2245377A (en) | 1992-01-02 |
Family
ID=10677910
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9013740A Withdrawn GB2245377A (en) | 1990-06-20 | 1990-06-20 | An optoelectronic system |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2245377A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2004007386A2 (en) * | 2002-07-11 | 2004-01-22 | Alfalight, Inc. | Thermal barrier for an optical bench |
Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2093631A (en) * | 1981-02-19 | 1982-09-02 | Kokusai Denshin Denwa Co Ltd | Unitary mounting structure for semiconductor laser and optical fiber |
| US4708429A (en) * | 1985-09-26 | 1987-11-24 | Rca Corporation | Optical fiber assembly and optically coupled device package including same |
| US4807956A (en) * | 1986-10-17 | 1989-02-28 | Thomson Hybrides Et Microondes | Opto-electronic head for the coupling of a semi-conductor device with an optic fiber, and a method to align this semi-conductor device with this fiber |
-
1990
- 1990-06-20 GB GB9013740A patent/GB2245377A/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2093631A (en) * | 1981-02-19 | 1982-09-02 | Kokusai Denshin Denwa Co Ltd | Unitary mounting structure for semiconductor laser and optical fiber |
| US4708429A (en) * | 1985-09-26 | 1987-11-24 | Rca Corporation | Optical fiber assembly and optically coupled device package including same |
| US4807956A (en) * | 1986-10-17 | 1989-02-28 | Thomson Hybrides Et Microondes | Opto-electronic head for the coupling of a semi-conductor device with an optic fiber, and a method to align this semi-conductor device with this fiber |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2004007386A2 (en) * | 2002-07-11 | 2004-01-22 | Alfalight, Inc. | Thermal barrier for an optical bench |
| WO2004007386A3 (en) * | 2002-07-11 | 2004-05-06 | Alfalight Inc | Thermal barrier for an optical bench |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB9013740D0 (en) | 1991-02-20 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |