Abstract
For semiconductor lasers, fiber and optical source alignment is crucial for maintaining high optical transfer efficiency. Traditional optoelectronic manufacturing, production of butterfly packages for example, involves laser welding of fiber mountings followed by a tedious realignment procedure to reverse thermally-induced distortions. An alternate technique, laser hammering, entails manipulation of the fiber to light alignment through deformation of the fiber housing with high precision laser beams. A detailed understanding of the material and mechanical behavior, characteristics, and dynamic response is vital to successfully apply an efficient controller that can choose an optimal weld pattern based on a light to fiber misalignment. Modeling provides an effective means to determine an optimal fiber alignment control technique. Modeling is difficult due to the dynamic thermal-mechanical coupling of these processes. This paper presents the preliminary results of a series of parametric studies regarding thermal-mechanical coupling models employed in finite element analysis in order to assess the behavior and dynamic response of representative materials and geometries under various boundary conditions. Fiber ferrule and ferrule housing dimensions affect resistance to bending and torsion, which in turn governs the magnitude of the displacement field. The models are then applied to geometries typical of alignment fixtures used in laser diode packages. The effects of laser energy deposition location and resolution as well as assumed boundary and initial conditions are also discussed. Convection and the small variations in ferule geometry do not have a strong effect on the overall response.