Patent ID: 8842705

Claim:
A laser diode grid element, comprising a plurality of laser diodes adapted for generating a corresponding plurality of laser beams and said plurality of laser diodes being arranged along a corresponding substantially flat surface; a collimation means for each said laser diodes, adapted for generating a collimated light beam from a corresponding laser beam, said collimated light beams being substantially perpendicular on said respective substantially flat surface; wherein said laser diodes are comprised in standard packages, said standard packages comprising a base plate serving as cooling surface of the laser diode, a metal housing arranged on said base plate to protect said laser diode, and at least two driving pins which extend from said laser diode through said base plate and which are used for driving said laser diode within said package; wherein said laser diode grid element comprises a heat sink, said heat sink being arranged in contact with said base plates, and wherein said at least two driving pins of each laser diode extend at least partially through said heat sink; a means for combining said plurality of collimated laser beams into a predetermined output aperture; and wherein said means for combining said plurality of laser beams is adapted for reflecting said collimated laser beams such that a distance between two adjacent collimated laser beams along the slow axis direction or along the fast axis direction, originating from the same laser diode grid element, in a plane defined by said predetermined output aperture, is smaller than said distance in a plane defined by said respective substantially flat surface.