Integrated emitter devices having beam divergence reducing encapsulation layer
View Patent ↗In one embodiment, a method for fabricating an integrated emitter device occurs on a flat substrate such as printed circuit board (PCB). A cup of suitable material such as epoxy is transfer molded on top of the substrate. An emitter is attached to the substrate within the epoxy cup. Wire bonding may occur to provide a path to the emitter. An epoxy encapsulation layer is provided to encapsulate the emitter. The encapsulation layer may be shaped to provide a lens for the emitter.
1. An integrated optical emitter device, comprising:
a substrate;
an emitter mounted to said substrate;
a molded cup that surrounds said emitter and that is bonded to said substrate; and
a molded encapsulation layer that encapsulates said emitter and that is bonded to said molded cup, wherein said molded encapsulation layer is shaped to direct light emitted by said emitter such that the molded encapsulation layer reduces a difference in beam divergence between a fast-axis and a slow-axis of said emitter.
2. The integrated optical emitter device of claim 1 , wherein said substrate is a printed circuit board.
3. The integrated optical emitter device of claim 1 , wherein said emitter is selected from the list consisting of: an edge emitting diode and a surface emitting diode.
4. The integrated optical emitter device of claim 1 wherein said molded cup and molded encapsulation layer are formed of molded epoxy.
5. The integrated optical emitter device of claim 1 wherein said molded cup is at least semi-reflective.
6. The integrated optical emitter device of claim 1 wherein said molded encapsulation layer is elliptical.
7. The integrated optical emitter device of claim 1 wherein said encapsulation layer is formed from clear epoxy.
8. The integrated optical emitter device of claim 1 wherein said molded cup possesses a plurality of discrete transitions.
9. An integrated optical emitter device, comprising:
a printed circuit board (PCB);
an emitter mounted to said PCB;
a molded epoxy cup that surrounds said emitter and that is bonded to said PCB, wherein said molded epoxy cup is at least semi-reflective; and
a molded epoxy encapsulation layer that encapsulates said emitter and that is bonded to said molded epoxy cup, wherein said molded encapsulation layer is shaped to direct light emitted by said emitter such that the molded encapsulation layer reduces a difference in beam divergence between a fast-axis and a slow-axis of said emitter.
10. The integrated optical emitter device of claim 9 , wherein said molded encapsulation layer is elliptical.