WO2020237984A1

WO2020237984A1 - White light laser source

Info

Publication number: WO2020237984A1
Application number: PCT/CN2019/112290
Authority: WO
Inventors: 周少丰; 黄良杰; 尹晓峰
Original assignee: 深圳市星汉激光科技有限公司
Priority date: 2019-05-29
Filing date: 2019-10-21
Publication date: 2020-12-03
Also published as: CN110260256A

Abstract

A white light laser source (100), comprising a laser source module (110), an output optical fiber (120), and a fluorescent optical fiber (130). A fluorescent material is doped in the fluorescent optical fiber (130), the short-wave monochromatic light output by the laser source module (110) is coupled to the fluorescent optical fiber (130) by means of the output optical fiber (120), the fluorescent material is stimulated in the fluorescent optical fiber (130) to generate light with different wavelengths, and the white light is emitted after mixing the light. The white light laser source (100) is simple in structure and high in light-to-light conversion rate, and thus is suitable for long-distance lighting or laser projection.

Description

A white light laser source

Technical field

The invention relates to the field of laser sources, in particular to a white light laser source.

Background technique

In applications such as laser lighting, laser projection, laser car lights, etc., lasers are usually used as a light source to be combined into a composite light source from multiple lasers. At present, the most common laser composite light source is a white light laser source. Take a white laser source as an example. At present, the main method of using laser to generate white light is to irradiate a blue laser to a phosphor. The fluorescent material is excited by the blue laser and spontaneously emits light of longer wavelength. Mixing produces white light.

In the process of implementing the present invention, the inventor found that the above related technologies have at least the following problems: the existing white-light laser sources generally have low light-to-light conversion efficiency, have a complex overall structure and occupy a lot of space.

Summary of the invention

In view of the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a white light laser source with a simple structure and a small volume.

The purpose of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

In order to solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present invention provides a white light laser source, including:

Laser source module, used to generate short-wave monochromatic light;

An output optical fiber, coupled with the laser source module, for coupling and outputting the short-wave monochromatic light;

The fluorescent fiber is fused to the output fiber, and the fluorescent fiber is doped with fluorescent material molecules or ions for absorbing the short-wave monochromatic light and outputting white light.

Optionally, the laser source module includes:

A laser chip, the laser chip is a high-power laser chip capable of emitting a wavelength range of 400nm-460nm, and is used to output the short-wave monochromatic light;

A collimating and focusing lens group, the collimating and focusing lens group is arranged between the laser chip and the output fiber, and is used to couple the short-wave monochromatic light to the output fiber.

Optionally, the white light laser source further includes: an output coupling module, coupled with the fluorescent optical fiber, for emitting collimated white light.

Optionally, the output coupling module is a lens or a lens group.

Optionally, the white light laser source further includes: a transparent hose or a quartz tube, sheathed on the outside of the fluorescent optical fiber, and the outer surface of the transparent hose or the quartz tube is plated with a high-reflection film.

Optionally, the fluorescent material is aluminate fluorescent material and/or silicate fluorescent material and/or YAG fluorescent material and/or nitride fluorescent material.

Optionally, the doping concentration of the fluorescent material molecules or ions is 10-5000 PPM.

Optionally, the fluorescent fiber is a high hydroxyl fiber.

Optionally, the length of the fluorescent fiber is 1-50 m.

Optionally, the numerical aperture of the fluorescent fiber is greater than or equal to 0.46, and the numerical aperture of the output fiber and the fluorescent fiber are the same.

Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effect of the present invention is: different from the prior art, the embodiment of the present invention provides a white light laser source, the white light laser source includes: a laser source module, an output fiber and a fluorescent fiber The fluorescent fiber is at least doped with fluorescent material molecules or ions, and the short-wave monochromatic light output by the laser source module is coupled to the fluorescent fiber through the output fiber, and the fluorescent material molecules or ions are excited in the fluorescent fiber to generate Lights of multiple wavelengths are mixed to obtain white light. The white light laser source provided by the embodiment of the present invention has a simple structure and a high light-to-light conversion rate.

Description of the drawings

One or more embodiments are exemplified by the pictures in the corresponding drawings. These exemplified descriptions do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments. The components/modules and steps with the same reference numerals in the drawings represent For similar components/modules and steps, unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings do not constitute a scale limitation.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a white light laser source provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of another white light laser source provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

The present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments. The following examples will help those skilled in the art to further understand the present invention, but do not limit the present invention in any form. It should be pointed out that, for those of ordinary skill in the art, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention. These all belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

In order to make the purpose, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following further describes this application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the application, and not used to limit the application.

It should be noted that if there is no conflict, the various features in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other, and all fall within the protection scope of the present application. In addition, although functional modules are divided in the schematic diagram of the device, in some cases, they may be divided into different modules from the device.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the technical field of the present invention. The terms used in the specification of the present invention in this specification are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not used to limit the present invention. The term "and/or" as used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

Specifically, the embodiments of the present application will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

1, an embodiment of the present invention provides a white light laser source 100, including: a laser source module 110, an output fiber 120 and a fluorescent fiber 130, the white light laser source 100 can emit high power through the laser source module 110 The short-wave light is mixed with the output fiber 120 and the fluorescent fiber 130 to output white light. The white light emitted by the white light laser source 100 provided by the embodiment of the present invention has the characteristics of directivity, high brightness, and suitable for long-distance illumination or laser projection. The white light laser source 100 provided by the embodiment of the present invention can also be used with a lens or lens group. Wide range of lighting.

The laser source module 110 is used to generate short-wave monochromatic light. The laser source module 110 can emit at least one monochromatic laser, and the monochromatic laser is a high-power laser, and the monochromatic laser is used to excite the fluorescent material in the fluorescent optical fiber 130 to convert it into long-wave composite light. The laser source module 110 may be a laser capable of emitting high-power lasers, such as a semiconductor laser, a solid-state laser, and the like that are commonly available in the market. Generally, the laser source module 110 is used to generate blue or violet light. In some other embodiments, the specific structure of the laser source module 110 and the wavelength of the monochromatic light output can be set according to actual needs, and does not need to be limited by the embodiments of the present invention. In addition, the laser source module 110 may also be a laser that generates multiple channels of composite shortwave light. By outputting composite light, a better light mixing effect can be achieved.

The output fiber 120 is coupled to the laser source module 110 for coupling and outputting the short-wave monochromatic light. The beam quality of the short-wave monochromatic light coupled out through the output fiber 120 can be improved, and a uniform spot can be output. In some other embodiments, the material, length, thickness, etc. of the output optical fiber 120 can be set according to actual needs, and does not need to be restricted to the limitations of the embodiments of the present invention.

The fluorescent fiber 130 is fused to the output fiber 120, and the fluorescent fiber 130 is doped with fluorescent material molecules or ions for absorbing the short-wave monochromatic light and outputting white light. The fluorescent fiber 130 and the output fiber 120 are fused together by a fiber fusion machine. After the uniform light beam output by the output fiber 120 enters the fluorescent fiber 130, the high-power short-wave light is absorbed by the fluorescent material molecules in the fluorescent fiber 130. The ions absorb and then emit light with longer wavelengths. Among them, different fluorescent material molecules or ions can emit light with different wavelengths. At least three wavelengths of red, green, and blue light can be emitted as white light after mixing.

Therefore, if the laser source module 110 can generate blue or violet light, the fluorescent material molecules or ions are at least fluorescent material molecules or ions with a certain ratio of red and yellow. In some other embodiments, the material, length, thickness of the fluorescent fiber 130, the type, quantity, type, and ratio of the fluorescent material molecules or ions can be set according to actual needs, and do not need to be limited to the implementation of the present invention. Limitations of examples.

In the embodiment of the present invention, a white light laser source 100 is provided. The white light laser source 100 includes a laser source module 110, an output fiber 120, and a fluorescent fiber 130. The fluorescent fiber 130 is at least doped with fluorescent material molecules or ions. The short-wave monochromatic light output by the laser source module 100 is coupled to the fluorescent fiber 130 via the output fiber 120, and the fluorescent material molecules or ions are excited in the fluorescent fiber 130 to generate light of multiple wavelengths, and white light is obtained after mixing. The white light laser source 100 provided by the embodiment of the present invention has a simple structure and a high light-to-light conversion rate.

In some embodiments, the fluorescent material is aluminate fluorescent material and/or silicate fluorescent material and/or YAG fluorescent material and/or nitride fluorescent material. Wherein, the fluorescent fiber 130 is doped with at least one or several types of fluorescent materials mixed in a certain proportion. The fluorescent material molecules include, but are not limited to, the aforementioned fluorescent materials commonly used in the industry. The fluorescent material molecules are equivalent to a solid shell of fluorescent powder, and the fluorescent material ions are examples of charged fluorescent materials. The fluorescent material is doped in the core of the fluorescent optical fiber 130. The ratio of the fluorescent material should be set according to the nature of the shortwave light output by the laser source module 110 and the white light mixing scheme. For example, if the short-wave light output by the laser source module 110 is blue light, the fluorescent material should be at least a fluorescent material with a certain ratio of red and yellow. Specifically, different ratio settings can be set according to the final requirements for the color temperature and color gamut of the mixed white light.

The doping concentration of the fluorescent material molecules or ions is 10-5000 PPM. In the embodiment of the present invention, the doping concentration of the fluorescent material molecules or ions in the fluorescent fiber 130 should be as low as possible, so that the heat of the fluorescent fiber 130 can be relatively small, and the heat loss and damage to the fluorescent fiber 130 can be reduced. damage. Further, in order to fully convert the high-energy shortwave light output by the laser source module 110, while reducing the doping concentration, the length of the fluorescent fiber 130 needs to be increased accordingly. Specifically, the length of the fluorescent fiber 130 can be set to 1-50 m. The doping concentration of the fluorescent fiber 130 is inversely proportional to the length of the fluorescent fiber 130, and the length of the fluorescent fiber 130 increases as the doping concentration of the fluorescent fiber 130 decreases.

The fluorescent fiber 130 is a high hydroxyl fiber. Compared with ordinary low-hydroxyl fiber, high-hydroxyl silica fiber has a smaller loss in the visible light band. The numerical aperture of the fluorescent fiber 130 is greater than or equal to 0.46, and the numerical aperture of the output fiber 120 and the fluorescent fiber 130 are the same. The output fiber 120 and the fluorescent fiber 130 use fibers with a larger numerical aperture, which can increase the amount of light received by the fiber end face, so that light with a larger angle range can be in the output fiber 120 and the fluorescent fiber 130 Coupling propagation.

In some other embodiments, the type selection and ratio of the fluorescent material, the doping concentration of the fluorescent material molecules or ions, the length of the fluorescent fiber 130, the output fiber 120 and the fluorescent fiber 130 The numerical aperture of can be set according to actual needs, and does not need to be restricted to the limitations of the embodiments of the present invention.

In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 2, the laser source module 110 includes a laser chip 111 and a collimating and focusing lens group 112. The laser source module 110 is used to output high-power and high-energy short-wave monochromatic light or short-wave composite light.

The laser chip 111 is a high-power laser chip capable of emitting a wavelength range of 400 nm to 460 nm, and is used to output the short-wave monochromatic light. There may be one or more laser chips 111. If there is one laser chip 111, it outputs short-wave monochromatic light; if there are multiple laser chips 111, it outputs short-wave composite light. Generally, the laser chip 111 can output as a laser chip that can at least output blue or violet light.

The collimating and focusing lens group 112 is disposed between the laser chip 111 and the output fiber 120 for coupling the short-wave monochromatic light to the output fiber 120. The collimating and focusing lens group 112 includes at least but not limited to a collimating lens or lens group and a focusing lens or lens group. Wherein, the collimating lens or lens group is used to collimate the monochromatic light or composite light output from the laser chip 111, and the focusing lens or lens group is used to focus the collimated light output on the output The fiber end face of the optical fiber 120 further couples out the input collimated light. Specifically, the collimating and focusing lens group 112 is arranged on the side of the output fiber 120 that is not fused with the fluorescent fiber 130, and the output fiber 120 is placed on the fiber end face of the collimating and focusing lens group 112 toward The collimating focus lens group 112 is at the focal point.

In some embodiments, please continue to refer to FIG. 2, the white light laser source 100 further includes: an output coupling module 140 and a transparent hose or a quartz tube 150.

The output coupling module 140 is coupled to the fluorescent optical fiber 130 for emitting collimated white light. The output coupling module 140 is a lens or a lens group. Specifically, the output coupling module 140 may be a lens or lens group with a coupling function or a collimating and focusing function, and/or a piece of optical fiber. The output coupling module 140 is a device capable of coupling mixed white light to output a uniform white light beam. Specifically, the output coupling module 140 is arranged on the side of the fluorescent optical fiber 130 that is not fused to the output optical fiber 120, and the fluorescent optical fiber 130 is placed on the output coupling module 140 toward the fiber end face of the output coupling module 140. The focus of module 140.

The transparent hose or quartz tube 150 is sheathed outside the fluorescent optical fiber 130, and the outer surface of the transparent hose or quartz tube 150 is plated with a high-reflection film. The inner wall diameter of the transparent hose or quartz tube 150 is larger than the outer diameter of the fluorescent optical fiber 130, and there is a gap between the transparent hose or quartz tube 150 and the fluorescent fiber 130, so that the The transparent hose or quartz tube 150 is sleeved on the outer periphery of the fluorescent optical fiber 130. When it is a transparent hose, the transparent hose is made of PVC material; when it is a quartz tube, the quartz tube is made of quartz material with high purity and high transparency. The use of a transparent tube or quartz tube 150 with high transparency has a high transmittance to the visible light band, which can reduce the loss of the overflow light of the fluorescent optical fiber 130 in the tube.

In some other embodiments, the specific structure, material, size, etc. of the output coupling module 140 and the transparent hose or the quartz tube 150 can be set according to the requirements of the discipline, and do not need to be restricted to the limitations of the embodiments of the present invention. .

In the embodiment of the present invention, a white light laser source is provided. The white light laser source includes a laser source module, an output fiber, and a fluorescent fiber. The fluorescent fiber is at least doped with fluorescent material molecules or ions, and the shortwave output from the laser source module The monochromatic light is coupled to the fluorescent fiber through the output fiber, and the fluorescent material molecules or ions are excited in the fluorescent fiber to generate light of multiple wavelengths, and white light is obtained after mixing. The white light laser source provided by the embodiment of the present invention has a simple structure and a high light-to-light conversion rate.

Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, not to limit them; under the idea of the present invention, the technical features of the above embodiments or different embodiments can also be combined. There are many other variations in different aspects of the present invention as described above. For the sake of brevity, they are not provided in details; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that: The technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may be modified, or the regional technical features therein may be equivalently replaced; these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention .

Claims

A white light laser source, characterized in that it comprises:

Laser source module, used to generate short-wave monochromatic light;

An output optical fiber, coupled with the laser source module, for coupling and outputting the short-wave monochromatic light;

The fluorescent fiber is fused to the output fiber, and the fluorescent fiber is doped with fluorescent material molecules or ions for absorbing the short-wave monochromatic light and outputting white light.
The white light laser source according to claim 1, wherein:

The laser source module includes:

A laser chip, the laser chip is a high-power laser chip capable of emitting a wavelength range of 400nm-460nm, and is used to output the short-wave monochromatic light;

A collimating and focusing lens group, the collimating and focusing lens group is arranged between the laser chip and the output fiber, and is used for coupling the short-wave monochromatic light to the output fiber.
The white light laser source according to claim 2, wherein:

The white light laser source further includes: an output coupling module, coupled with the fluorescent optical fiber, for emitting collimated white light.
The white light laser source according to claim 3, wherein:

The output coupling module is a lens or a lens group.
The white light laser source according to claim 3, wherein:

The white light laser source further includes: a transparent hose or a quartz tube sheathed outside the fluorescent optical fiber, and the outer surface of the transparent hose or the quartz tube is plated with a high-reflection film.
The white light laser source according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that:

The fluorescent material is aluminate fluorescent material and/or silicate fluorescent material and/or YAG fluorescent material and/or nitride fluorescent material.
The white light laser source according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that:

The doping concentration of the fluorescent material molecules or ions is 10-5000 PPM.
The white light laser source according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that:

The fluorescent fiber is a high hydroxyl fiber.
The white light laser source according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that:

The length of the fluorescent fiber is 1-50m.
The white light laser source according to claim 9, wherein:

The numerical aperture of the fluorescent fiber is greater than or equal to 0.46, and the numerical aperture of the output fiber and the fluorescent fiber are the same.