Patent ID: 6353502
Filing Date: 2002-03-05
Classification: B41J,G02B,H01S

Abstract:
Apparatus for collimating multiple laser beams from a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) array and directing the collimated beams through a common aperture, comprising:a) a VCSEL array including at least two VCSEL sources disposed in a spatial pattern and each VCSEL source emitting a divergent laser beam; b) a microlens array with lenslet elements disposed in a spatial pattern geometrically similar to the pattern of sources on the VCSEL array, said lenslet pattern being scaled to a smaller dimension than the VCSEL source pattern and arranged to receive the divergent laser beams; and c) the microlens array being arranged so that the lenslet surface of the microlens array is maintained at a distance from the VCSEL array substantially equal to the focal length of the lenslets to substantially collimate the beams and also being maintained in a lateral orientation so that each beam passes through a corresponding microlens in the microlens array causing the laser beam from each VCSEL source to be directed through a common aperture.