Patent ID: 8050307

Claim:
A mid-IR (MIR) laser device comprising: a quantum cascade laser that generates light output; an optical lens that collimates the light output from the quantum cascade laser, wherein the optical lens has a numerical aperture that is greater than approximately 0.6, a diameter of less than approximately 5 millimeters, and a focal length of less than approximately 5 millimeters and wherein the optical lens is made of a material selected from the group consisting of Ge, ZnSe, ZnS Si, CaF, BaF, and chalcogenide glass; a thermo electric cooling (TEC) device; and a monolithic heat spreader secured to the TEC device, the heat spreader retaining the quantum cascade laser and the optical lens, the heat spreader having a thermal conductivity of at least approximately 220 W/mK, the heat spreader serving to distribute heat to the TEC device from the quantum cascade laser and also serving as an optical platform to fixedly position the quantum cascade laser and the optical lens relative to one another.