Phosphor structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023198229-A1
Application number	US-202217698258-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 18, 2022
Priority date	Sep 2, 2020
Publication date	Jun 22, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A light source includes a laser diode device and a wavelength conversion member. The wavelength conversion member includes a wavelength conversion element having voids and a dielectric element. The dielectric element fills the voids on a surface of the wavelength conversion element adjacent to the dielectric element. An output facet of the laser diode device is configured to output a laser beam of electromagnetic radiation. The laser beam is incident on a surface of the wavelength conversion member and a light is emitted from the wavelength conversion member. The light emission includes a mixture of wavelengths characterized by at least the second wavelength from the wavelength conversion member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A light source, comprising:
a laser diode device comprising a gallium and nitrogen containing material and configured as an excitation source; a wavelength conversion member configured as an emitter and optically coupled to the laser diode device, the wavelength conversion member comprising a wavelength conversion element having voids, a dielectric element, and a reflective element, wherein the dielectric element is disposed between the wavelength conversion element and the reflective element, and the dielectric element fills the voids on a surface of the wavelength conversion element adjacent to the dielectric element and provides a substantially planar interface with the reflective element; an output facet of the laser diode device configured to output a laser beam of electromagnetic radiation; a free space with a non-guided characteristic capable of transmitting the laser beam from the laser diode device to the wavelength conversion member; the wavelength conversion member configured to convert at least a fraction of the electromagnetic radiation in the laser beam with a first wavelength to a second wavelength that is longer than the first wavelength; a reflective mode characterizing the wavelength conversion member such that the laser beam is incident on the excitation surface of the wavelength conversion member and the excitation surface is a primary emission surface of the wavelength conversion member; and the wavelength conversion member configured to emit a light from the primary emission surface of the wavelength conversion member, the light emission comprised of a mixture of wavelengths characterized by at least the second wavelength from the wavelength conversion member.

2 . The light source of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric element of the wavelength conversion member is directly coupled to the wavelength conversion element and the reflective element.

3 . The light source of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric element of the wavelength conversion member comprises silicon oxide.

4 . The light source of claim 1 , further comprising a submount member coupled to the laser diode device to form a chip on submount structure, and a common support member configured to support the laser diode device and the wavelength conversion member.

5 . The light source of claim 1 , wherein the reflective element of the wavelength conversion member comprises at least one of silver or aluminum.

6 . The light source of claim 1 , wherein a refractive index of the dielectric element is lower than a refractive index of the wavelength conversion member.

7 . The light source of claim 1 , wherein the laser diode device is configured to generate the laser beam of electromagnetic radiation having a violet or a blue emission with a first wavelength ranging from 400 nm to 485 nm, and the wavelength conversion member is configured to provide the second wavelength in a yellow wavelength range, and wherein the light emission is a white light comprised of the first wavelength and the second wavelength.

8 . The light source of claim 1 , wherein the wavelength conversion element is comprised of a ceramic yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) doped with Ce or a single crystal YAG doped with Ce.

9 . The light source of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric element is a first dielectric element on a first surface of the wavelength conversion element, and wherein the wavelength conversion member also includes a second dielectric element on a second surface of the wavelength conversion element, the second dielectric element disposed between the wavelength conversion element and an anti-reflection coating, and the second dielectric element fills the voids on the second surface of the wavelength conversion element and provides a substantially planar interface with the anti-reflection coating.

10 . The light source of claim 1 , wherein the voids are within a bulk of the wavelength conversion element and on surfaces of the wavelength conversion element.

11 . The light source of claim 1 , wherein the light source is enclosed in a package; wherein the package is characterized by a sealing selected from an open environment sealing, an environmental sealing, or a hermetic sealing.

12 . The light source of claim 11 , wherein the package is selected from a can type, a flat package type, a surface mount type, a butterfly type, a C-mount type, a Q-mount type, a package adapted from an LED package type, or a custom type.

13 . A light source, comprising:
a laser diode device comprising a gallium and nitrogen containing material, and configured as an excitation source; a wavelength conversion member configured as an emitter and optically coupled to the laser diode device, the wavelength conversion member comprising a wavelength conversion element having voids, a dielectric element, and a transmissive element, wherein the dielectric element is disposed between the wavelength conversion element and the transmissive element, and the dielectric element fills the voids on a surface of the wavelength conversion element adjacent to the dielectric element and provides a substantially planar interface with the transmissive element; an output facet of the laser diode device configured to output a laser beam of electromagnetic radiation, the electromagnetic radiation characterized by a wavelength range, a spectral width, a power, and a spatial configuration; a free space with a non-guided characteristic capable of transmitting the laser beam from the laser diode device to the wavelength conversion member; the wavelength conversion member configured to convert at least a fraction of the electromagnetic radiation in the laser beam with a first wavelength to a second wavelength that is longer than the first wavelength; and a transmission mode characterizing the wavelength conversion member with the laser diode device arranged so that the laser beam is incident on a first surface of the wavelength conversion member, the wavelength conversion member configured to emit a light from a second surface that is opposite the first surface, the light emission comprising a mixture of wavelengths characterized by at least the second wavelength from the wavelength conversion member.

14 . The light source of claim 13 , wherein the dielectric element of the wavelength conversion member is directly coupled to the phosphor element of the wavelength conversion member and the transmissive element of the wavelength conversion member.

15 . The light source of claim 13 , wherein the dielectric element of the wavelength conversion member comprises silicon oxide.

16 . The light source of claim 13 , wherein the voids are within a bulk of the wavelength conversion element and on surfaces of the wavelength conversion element.

17 . The light source of claim 13 , wherein the dielectric element is a first dielectric element on a first surface of the wavelength conversion element, and wherein the wavelength conversion member also includes a second dielectric element on a second surface of the wavelength conversion element, the second dielectric element disposed between the wavelength conversion element and an anti-reflection coating, and the second dielectric element fills the voids on the second surface of the wavelength conversion element and provides a substantially planar interface with the anti-reflection coating.

18 . The light source of claim 13 , wherein a refractive index of the dielectric element is lower than a refractive index of the wavelength conversion member.

19 . The

Assignees

• Kyocera Sld Laser Inc

Inventors

• Trottier Troy
• Khanal Sudeep

Classifications

• H01S5/125

  Distributed Bragg reflector [DBR] lasers · CPC title

• H01S5/32341 Primary

  blue laser based on GaN or GaP · CPC title

• H01S5/0087 Primary

  for illuminating phosphorescent or fluorescent materials, e.g. using optical arrangements specifically adapted for guiding or shaping laser beams illuminating these materials · CPC title

• H01S5/34333

  with a well layer based on Ga(In)N or Ga(In)P, e.g. blue laser · CPC title

• H01S5/02326

  Arrangements for relative positioning of laser diodes and optical components, e.g. grooves in the mount to fix optical fibres or lenses · CPC title