Welding induced alignment distortion in dual-in-line LD packages

The tolerance for the movement of a single mode fiber relative to the laser is extremely tight, a submicron movement can often lead to a significant misalignment and thus the reduction in the power coupled into the fiber. Among various fiber pigtailing assembly technologies, pulsed laser welding is the method with submicron accuracy and is most conducive to automation. However, the melting-solidification process during laser welding can often distort the pre-achieved fiber-optic alignment. This Welding-Induced-Alignment-Distortion (WIAD) is a serious concern and significantly affects the yield for single mode fiber pigtailing to a semiconductor laser. In this paper, effect of laser welding sequence on WIAD in a dual-in-line packager is numerically investigated by means of Finite Element Method (FEM). Optimal welding sequence may minimize WIAD in dual-in-line package. Additionally, unsymmetrical space between fiber and U-channel induced by laser welding of U-channel-to-plate in DIP LD packages is found to have obvious effect on WIAD.