Patent ID: 6731665
Filing Date: 2004-05-04
Classification: G02B,H01L,H01S

Abstract:
A pump laser capable of delivering at least a specified amount of output power necessary to pump an individual optical fiber, the pump laser comprising:an array of N semiconductor vertical cavity surface emitting lasers on a common die, each having a first wavelength and an individual output power (P), in normal use, such that the product of N times P is equal to or greater than the specified amount of output power the individual output power P of each of the N lasers also being adjustable such that, if one of the N lasers fails, each individual output of the remaining lasers will be adjusted to a post-failure output power of P+(P/(Nâˆ’1)) such that, post-failure, the product of N times (P+(P/Nâˆ’1)) is equal to or greater than the specified amount of output power; and a lens array coupler configured to couple light emitted by all of the individual lasers in the array to the individual optical fiber at the first wavelength.