Influence of storage causing packaging stress changes on smile effect for diode laser arrays

Abstract

The smile effect is caused by the thermal stress in the packaging process. If packaging technology of a diode laser array is poor, smile effect will be very bad and the smile effect will vary with storage time. To accurately measure smile effect and to objectively compare the different measuring methods for smile effect, a set of optical system is designed for measuring the smile effect. By using an image amplification method, the smile effect of a diode laser array is accurately measured, and the measurement error is about ±0.1μm. By researching, the heat sink surface flatness has little influence on smile effect. However the solder quality is a critical factor for smile effect. That is to say, there is more voids, the corresponding smile effect is more serious in this area. Reflow soldering curve has a major impact on smile effect in the packaging process of a diode laser array .During reflow soldering process, accelerated cooling before solidification and slow cooling after solidification not only can commendably reduce voids and smile effect ,but also can effectively solve the smile effect with storage time variation problem .By optimizing the reflow soldering curve of a diode laser array , the smile effect has been controlled within ±0.5μm..As the smile effect values of a semiconductor laser array is diminished and the beam quality of a laser diode array is improved significantly. The recommended method provides favorable conditions for the beam collimation and shaping of a semiconductor laser array.