EP0100086A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
A Method of making injection laser packages and packages made by using the method
Assignee: STC PLC
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Filing: 1983-07-26
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2003-07-26
Abstract
Abstract A hermetically seaied injection laser package is made by first forming a sub-assembly of a monitoring photodiode (50) on a metal support member (53) and welding it to a heat sink (30) on which the laser (31) is mounted. The heat sink is secured inside the package housing (10) and then a further sub- assembly, comprising a plastics packaged optical fibre (60) hermetically sealed in a fibre support tube (61), is introduced through an aperture in one wall of the housing. Anchorage means (70) is laser beam welded to this tube and to the heat sink to secure the inner end in position for optimum optical coupling between the laser and the fibre.
Inventors
- 👤 Brian Arthur Eales
- 👤 Terry Bricheno
- 👤 Norman Derek Leggett
- 👤 John Edward Upcher Ashton
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 05:55
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01S; H01S5/00; H01S5/02; H01S5/022; H01S5/02208; G; G02; G02B; G02B6/00; G02B6/24; G02B6/42; G02B6/4201; G02B6/4202; G02B6/4219; G02B6/4236; G02B6/4237; G02B6/4248; H01S5/024; H01S5/02407; H01S5/02415; H01S5/0225; H01S5/02251; H01S5/0233; H01S5/02345; H01S5/06; H01S5/068; H01S5/06804
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
283 words
A method of making a hermetically sealed injection laser package with a plastics packaged glass optical fibre tail, in which hermeticity of the package is afforded by the use of glass-to-metal and metal-to-metal seals rather than resin seals, charac- terized in that the injection laser (31, 123) is mounted in a metal package housing (10, 100) directly or indirectly on a metal heat sink (30, 122) secured inside the package housing (10, 100), and that the optical fibre tail (60) is hermetically sealed with a hermetic glass-to-metal joint in a metal support tube (61, 120) which is itself hermetically sealed with a metal-to-metal seal through one wall of the housing (10, 100), which method includes the step of securing the laser (31, 123) in position within the housing (10, 100), and the step of inserting the support tube (61, 120), with the fibre tail (60) sealed therein, through an aperture in the .housing (10, 100) wall to protrude freely inside the 'housing (10, 100) and, either before or after making said metal-to-metal hermetic seal between the support tube (61, 120) and the wall of the housing (10, 100), the steps of siting anchorage means (70, 134) on the heat sink (30, 123) to embrace the support tube (61, 120) and adjusting the position of the tube (61, 120) with respect to the heat sink (30, 123) for optimum optical coupling of the laser output with the optical fibre tail (60), and, while that position is maintained of securing by laser beam welding the anchorage means (70, 134) to the heat sink (30, 123) and to the support tube (61, 120) or to a member (80) rigidly secured to the support tube (61, 120).
Claim 2
Independent Claim
283 words
A method of making a hermetically sealed injection laser package with a plastics packaged glass optical fibre tail, in which hermeticity of the package is afforded by the use of glass-to-metal and metal-to-metal seals rather than resin seals, charac- terized in that the injection laser (31, 123) is mounted in a metal package housing (10, 100) directly or indirectly on a metal heat sink (30, 122) secured inside the package housing (10, 100), and that the optical fibre tail (60) is hermetically sealed with a hermetic glass-to-metal joint in a metal support tube (61, 120) which is itself hermetically sealed with a metal-to-metal seal through one wall of the housing (10, 100), which method includes the step of securing the laser (31, 123) in position within the housing (10, 100), and the step of inserting the support tube (61, 120), with the fibre tail (60) sealed therein, through an aperture in the .housing (10, 100) wall to protrude freely inside the 'housing (10, 100) and, either before or after making said metal-to-metal hermetic seal between the support tube (61, 120) and the wall of the housing (10, 100), the steps of siting anchorage means (70, 134) on the heat sink (30, 123) to embrace the support tube (61, 120) and adjusting the position of the tube (61, 120) with respect to the heat sink (30, 123) for optimum optical coupling of the laser output with the optical fibre tail (60), and, while that position is maintained of securing by laser beam welding the anchorage means (70, 134) to the heat sink (30, 123) and to the support tube (61, 120) or to a member (80) rigidly secured to the support tube (61, 120).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
53 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the anchorage member (70, 134) is welded to the heat sink (30, 123) and directly or indirectly to the fibre support tube (61, 120) after the support tube (61, 120) has first been hermetically sealed to the wall of the housing (10, 100).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the anchorage member (70, 134) is welded directly to the fibre support tube (61, 120).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
59 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the laser (31, 123) is indirectly mounted on the heat sink (30, 122) via an intermediary pedestal (32), and that the anchorage member (70, 134) is made of a low expansion metal having a coefficient of thermal expansion substantially matched with that of the pedestal (32).
Claim 6
Independent Claim
41 words
A method as claimed in any preceding claim, characterized in that a sub-assembly containing a photodiode (50, 125) for monitoring the output of the laser (31, 123) is secured inside the housing (10, 100) to the laser heat sink (30, 122).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the subassembly is secured to the heat sink (30, 122) -by laser beam welding.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
48 words
A method as claimed in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the sub-assembly is secured so that light incident upon the photodiode (50, 125) from the laser (31, 123) and reflected by the photodiode (50, 125) is reflected in a direction away from the laser optic axis.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
55 words
A method as claimed in claim 5, 6 or 7, characterized in that electricals leads (34, 55) from the laser (31, 123) and the photodiode (50, 125) are secured by laser beam welding to the inner ends of pins (i.e. 17) secured through a wall of the housing (10, 100) in glass to metal seals.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
32 words
A method as claimed in any preceding claim, characterized in that the end of the optical fibre tail (60) within the package housing (10, 100) is provided with a convex lensed surface.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
15 words
A hermetically sealed injection laser package made by the method claimed in any preceding claim.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
57 words
A laser package as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that the heat sink (122) is mounted on the cold junction side of a thermo-electric heat pump (129) whose hot junction side is mounted on high thermal conductivity means (121) for ducting extracted heat to an external surface of the package for transfer out of the package.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
33 words
A laser package as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that the thermo-electric heat pump (129) is soldered to the heat sink (122) and to the high thermal conductivity heat ducting means (121).
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
24 words
A laser package as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that the heat sink (122) is made of a two phase tungsten copper material.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
26 words
A laser package as claimed in any claim of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the optical fibre tail is a single mode fibre (60).
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
46 words
A laser package as claimed in any claim of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that a hybrid ceramic substrate (139) is included within the package upon which are mounted electronic components forming part of circuitry for driving the laser (123) and/or its monitor photodiode (125).
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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