Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for reducing electrical and thermal crosstalk of a laser array

US6553044B1 · kind B1 · utility

24Cited by
7References
17Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateOct 20, 1998
Grant dateApr 22, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 20, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01S5/4087
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Active compensation techniques are used for control of temperature, wavelength, and other characteristics of lasers within a laser array. The laser array includes a plurality of lasers and a plurality of dissipation elements. The dissipation elements can be interstitial to the lasers and can be implemented as non-lasing diodes. The dissipation elements are selectively activated (i.e., turned “on” to dissipate power) to adjust the temperature at the laser junctions. The change in junction temperature allows the lasers to operate at their specified wavelengths. The dissipation elements can be individually controlled and two or more bits of resolution can be provided. Active compensation can be used to adjust (i.e., to compensate) the temperature of selected lasers when one or more lasers are deselected. Active compensation can also be used to adjust (i.e., “tweak”) the wavelengths of the lasers within the laser array to be within their specified wavelengths.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.