Blue laser diode enables micro-optics to better control beam shape

01 Dec 2022

Convergent Photonics-ams Osram combination yields precision laser modules for advanced surgery or welding.

Enabling more precise control of beam shape and size.

Turin, Italy-based laser module manufacturer Convergent Photonics is developing new sources for high-power industrial and mid-power medical laser applications thanks to the introduction of a new chip-on-submount (CoS) package for 445nm blue laser diodes from ams Osram.

The CoS packaged laser diodes offer a compact alternative to the familiar TO can. Several CoS lasers can be combined in one module to save space. For this, micro-optic lenses are mounted adjacent to the laser facet, which enables the coupling of the single lasers into optical fiber, and thus giving much more precise control of beam shape and size.

The compact modular design also enables better thermal management than systems based on lasers in the TO format. Coupled to 100µm optical fiber with optical power output of up to 100W, Convergent’s multi-emitter laser modules can be combined to further scale up power, providing a very compact solution for welding equipment.

Diverse applications

For medical applications, the same technology – also combining multiple blue CoS lasers from ams Osram – is integrated with control electronics to provide a very compact stand-alone source. Moreover, combining it with different wavelengths, Convergent Photonics provides a family of hybrid multi-wavelength sources, all packaged in a single compact module, for use in advanced surgical equipment.

“Conventional package styles for blue laser diodes limited our scope to incorporate blue light into our portfolio of compact, efficient laser modules,” said Roberto Paoletti, Director of Diode Fab at Convergent Photonics.

“With ams Osram’s development of a chip-on-submount blue laser, we now have a building block which can be scaled up to support high-power applications in a very compact assembly.

“Now we can incorporate blue laser emission in modules which match the excellent size, weight and power characteristics of our existing products in the visible and infrared portions of the spectrum,” he said.

ams Osram supplies blue CoS lasers in two versions, both of which have a power output of 5W: the 1.0 x 1.3 x 0.2mm PLPCOS 450D, and the 4.0 x 3.0 x 0.3mm PLPCOS 450E, which is mounted on a thermally efficient direct bonded copper (DBC) substrate.