A pulsed laser diode driver includes an inductor having a first terminal configured to receive a source voltage. A source capacitor has a first terminal connected to the first terminal of the inductor to provide the source voltage. A bypass switch has a drain node connected to a second terminal of the inductor and to a first terminal of a bypass capacitor. A laser diode switch has a drain node connected to the second terminal of the inductor. A laser diode has an anode connected to a source node of the laser diode switch and a cathode connected to a bias voltage node. The laser diode switch and the bypass switch control a current flow through the inductor to produce a high-current pulse through the laser diode, the high-current pulse corresponding to a peak current of a resonant waveform developed at the anode of the laser diode.

An electronic device includes laser emitters, and a laser driver generating a laser drive signal for the laser emitters based upon a feedback control signal. A steering circuit selectively steers the laser drive signal to a different selected one of the plurality of laser emitters and prevents the laser drive signal from being steered to non-selected ones of the plurality of laser emitters, during each of a plurality of time periods. Control circuitry senses a magnitude of a current of the laser drive signal and generates the feedback control signal based thereupon. The feedback control signal is generated so as to cause the laser driver to generate the laser drive signal as having a current with a substantially constant magnitude.

A modulator-integrated semiconductor laser (100) includes a semiconductor laser (101), an electro-absorption modulator (102), and an optical attenuator (103) that are monolithically integrated. The electro-absorption modulator (102) and the optical attenuator (103) are connected in series in a stage succeeding the semiconductor laser (101). A control unit (44) controls the DC bias voltage to be applied to the optical attenuator (103) to increase as temperature of the modulator-integrated semiconductor laser (100) rises.

In a laser system according to a viewpoint of the present disclosure, a first amplifier amplifies first pulsed laser light outputted from a first semiconductor laser system into second pulsed laser light, a wavelength conversion system converts the second pulsed laser light in terms of wavelength into third pulsed laser light, and an excimer amplifier amplifies the third pulsed laser light. The first semiconductor laser system includes a first current controller that controls current flowing through a first semiconductor laser in such a way that first laser light outputted from the first semiconductor laser is caused to undergo chirping and a first semiconductor optical amplifier that amplifies the first laser light into pulsed light. The laser system includes a control section that controls the amount of chirping performed on the first pulsed laser light in such a way that excimer laser light having a target spectral linewidth is achieved.

A current regulator for a pulsed load is provided herein. The current regulator may include: an input power source; a current sense circuit; a capacitive energy storage device; a current sink driver; a current source charger which receives input current from the input power source via the current sense circuit and provides a charge for the capacitive energy storage device coupled between the current source charger and the current sink driver which drives the pulsed load; a power monitor circuitry which generates a feedback signal, based on a function of the input power and a function of at least one of: voltage across the capacitive energy storage, or voltage across the current sink driver; and a pulse width modulation (PWM) or pulse frequency modulation (PFM) circuitry which controls the current source charger based on the feedback signal.

The present disclosure relates to light source driving systems, for example laser driving systems. The systems are configured to include a very low inductance current loop for driving an initial part of the current drive signal to turn on the light source. By implementing the system to have a very low inductance current loop, a very fast turn on time may be achieved for the light source, which can be particularly useful for Time of Flight systems that require a very quick turn-on response from the light source.

A laser assembly (10) for generating a pulsed output beam (16) includes a quantum cascade device (12); and a laser driver (14A) that controls the voltage to the quantum cascade device (12) in a pulsed drive profile (950) to generate the pulsed output beam (16). The pulsed drive profile (950) includes a plurality of spaced on-time segments (952) in which the laser driver (14A) directs voltage to the quantum cascade device (12), and at least one off-time segment (954) in which the laser driver (14A) pulls down the voltage from the quantum cascade device (12). The off-time segment (954) occurs between two on-time segments (952).

A deterioration diagnosis device includes: a temperature acquisition unit acquiring a temperature of an optical transceiver including a laser diode outputting an optical transmission signal; a bias current acquisition unit acquiring a bias current flowing through the diode; a correction function calculation unit calculating a correction function representing a relationship between the acquired temperature and bias current; a temperature correction value calculation unit calculating a temperature correction value for a bias current acquired at the time of deterioration diagnosis, using the correction function; a corrected bias current calculation unit correcting the bias current acquired at the time of the deterioration diagnosis, using the temperature correction value; and a bias current change amount calculation unit determining a state of the laser diode by comparing an initial bias current with a corrected bias current.

An electronic device according to various embodiments may comprise: a circuit board; a plurality of light sources mounted on the circuit board; a first detection circuit arranged adjacent to the plurality of light sources and mounted on the circuit board; and a casing including a body portion mounted on the circuit board and surrounding at least a portion of an area in which the plurality of light sources and the first detection circuit are arranged, and a window mounted on the body portion facing the plurality of light sources, wherein the window may include a diffuser formed on at least one surface of the window and configured to disperse light emitted from the plurality of light sources and a second detection circuit at least partially surrounding the diffuser on the outer surface of the window.

In embodiments, an apparatus to predict failure of a laser is presented. The apparatus may include a memory to store a reference model of bias current change for a laser as a function of time and temperature, one or more sensors to detect: temperature, elapsed operating time and bias current of the laser, and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and to the one or more sensors. The processor may be to calculate an actual bias current change ΔIA at a current laser temperature, and an expected bias current change ΔIE, based at least in part on the reference model and an average operating temperature, subtract ΔIE from ΔIA, and if the difference is greater than a pre-defined value α, output a signal. Related methods and non-transitory computer-readable media may also be presented.