Integrated optical emitters and applications thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11178392-B2
Application number	US-201916537580-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 11, 2019
Priority date	Sep 12, 2018
Publication date	Nov 16, 2021
Grant date	Nov 16, 2021

Abstract

An opto-electronic device includes a semiconductor substrate having a planar surface. An emitter is formed on the substrate and configured to emit a beam of light away from the planar surface. A reflective layer is formed on the planar surface adjacent to the emitter. A transparent layer is formed over the planar surface and has a curved outer surface including a first segment positioned vertically over the emitter and configured to internally reflect the emitted beam of light toward the reflective layer, and a second segment positioned and configured to collimate and transmit the beam reflected from the reflective layer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An opto-electronic device, comprising:
a semiconductor substrate having a planar surface;
an emitter formed on the substrate and configured to emit a beam of light away from the planar surface;
a reflective layer formed on the planar surface adjacent to the emitter; and
a transparent layer formed over the planar surface and having a curved outer surface including a first segment positioned vertically over the emitter and configured to internally reflect the emitted beam of light toward the reflective layer, and a second segment positioned and configured to collimate and transmit the beam reflected from the reflective layer.

2. The opto-electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the emitter comprises a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL).

3. The opto-electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the reflective layer comprises a metal.

4. The opto-electronic device according to claim 3 , wherein the metal comprises gold.

5. The opto-electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the reflective layer comprises at least one dielectric layer.

6. The opto-electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the transparent layer comprises gallium-arsenide (GaAs).

7. The opto-electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the first segment comprises a planar surface.

8. The opto-electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the first segment comprises a curved surface.

9. The opto-electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the first segment is configured to internally reflect the emitted beam of light toward the reflective layer at least twice.

10. The opto-electronic device according to claim 1 , and comprising a reflective coating is deposited on the first segment.

11. The opto-electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the first segment is configured to internally reflect the emitted beam of light toward the reflective layer by total internal reflection (TIR).

12. The opto-electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the first segment is configured to reflect the emitted beam of light so that the reflected beam impinges on the second segment along a first axis, and wherein the second segment is configured to collimate and transmit the beam along a second axis, which is not parallel to the first axis.

13. The opto-electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the second segment comprises a spherical surface.

14. The opto-electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the second segment comprises a Fresnel-lens.

15. The opto-electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the second segment comprises a diffractive optical element (DOE).

16. A method for fabricating an opto-electronic device, comprising:
forming an emitter on a semiconductor substrate having a planar surface;
depositing a reflective layer on the planar surface adjacent to the emitter; and
forming over the planar surface a transparent layer having a curved outer surface including a first segment positioned vertically over the emitter and configured to internally reflect the emitted beam of light toward the reflective layer, and a second segment positioned and configured to collimate and transmit the beam reflected from the reflective layer.

17. The method according to claim 16 , and comprising depositing a reflective coating over the first segment of the transparent layer.

18. The method according to claim 16 , wherein forming the transparent layer comprises etching the transparent later to define the curved outer surface using a confined etchant layer technique.

19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein etching the transparent layer comprises molding a polymer to replicate a shape of the curved outer surface, and using the confined etchant layer technique to transfer the shape to the transparent layer.

20. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the transparent layer comprises gallium-arsenide (GaAs).

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Avraham Assaf
• Della Pergola Refael
• Remez Roei

Classifications

• H04N23/54

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• H04N23/55

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• H04N23/51

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• H04N23/50

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• H04N23/57

  Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices · CPC title