We all know that laser diodes have many advantages, but many people may be a little puzzled when asked. Today, Xiaobian gives you a brief introduction to the advantages of laser diodes and whether QSI laser diodes imported from South Korea are good or not, and whether the price will be very expensive.

First, the advantages of laser diode

Compared with other types of lasers or light sources, laser diode, LD) has the following obvious advantages:

Small size, light weight and compact structure

Laser diode is a semiconductor device, which does not need a large cavity or complex optical lens group like gas laser or solid laser. It is especially beneficial for portable equipment, measuring instruments, scanners and other miniaturized equipment.

High efficiency

Power generation-the optical conversion efficiency is high (some can reach 20-40% or even higher) and the power consumption is relatively low. The driving voltage is also relatively low (generally below several volts), and the power consumption control is easy.

Fast response/high modulation frequency

Laser diode can quickly switch or modulate current, so it can support high-speed modulation, communication, ranging, LiDAR and other applications. It is critical for communication or measurement scenarios.

The beam has good directivity and coherence.

The light energy is concentrated and the divergence angle is small, which is convenient for focusing or transmission; The spectrum (wavelength) has good purity and monochromaticity. It is very advantageous for precision measurement, optical fiber communication, scanning/imaging and other occasions.

Relatively long service life and good reliability.

With proper design and heat dissipation, the laser diode can work for a long time with low failure rate. The requirements for temperature and current management are high, but the products of mature manufacturers have done well in these aspects.

Cost control/mass production advantages

After the semiconductor technology is mature, there is a lot of room for reducing the cost of mass production. For laser diodes with medium and low power and standard wavelength, the cost is not very high.

Second, is the QSI laser diode good?

1. Strong professional background and technical ability.

QSI is a Korean company, specializing in the research and development and production of red and near infrared (red&IR) band laser diodes.

The company has the full-process capabilities of EPI (Epitaxy), FAB (Chip Manufacturing) and PACKAGE (Packaging), and also supports Foundry services, as well as the development of new light devices such as VCSEL and Micro LED. It shows that the ability from upstream to downstream is relatively complete.

2. Wide product range

The wavelength ranges from about 635 nm (red light) to near infrared (IR) such as 850-940 nm. Some models have high IR output power, which can reach hundreds of mW or even higher.

There are standard packages (such as TO-can) and compact packages (D-cut, I-cut) for applications with limited space. This diversity makes the choice in different application scenarios (printing, scanning, LiDAR, sensors, etc.) more flexible.

3. R&D investment and industrial status

QSI not only produces LD, but also has continuous research and development in material epitaxy, device packaging, technology and packaging form. The company also cooperates with universities and invests in research and development funds. It plays a key role in the domestic photoelectric/optical semiconductor industry in Korea.

Possible points for attention or limitations of QSI

1. High-end linewidth/extreme power models may be difficult.

If the demand is extremely narrow line width (single-frequency/DFB/DBR) and high power (such as several watts or stable operation under extreme outdoor conditions), these models have very strict requirements on materials, chip design and thermal management. Even companies with strong technical strength may have high cost and low yield on these special models.

2. Price vs international brand competition

In some high-end applications (aerospace, scientific research, extremely high reliability requirements), customers may prefer big brands from Europe, America /Japan/ other countries, and the competitiveness of QSI may be more reflected in the middle and high-end/industrial/commercial grades.

Certification, quality assurance, after-sales and other aspects may depend on the specific model and customer agreement.

3. Scale and supply capacity

Although QSI can support EPI/FAB/PKG, the delivery cycle and customized development cycle may be slightly longer than those of very large international manufacturers for extremely large orders or special customized models.

3. Will QSI laser diodes be expensive?

Price estimation and cost performance for QSI

Based on public information, QSI's products have "reliable+competitive price" in the middle-low to middle-high power range (for example, tens of mW to hundreds of mW red/infrared bands).

In more standard/non-extreme models, QSI may be cheaper than some top manufacturers in Europe, America and /Japan, but it is definitely more expensive than very low-end or brand-free products (or products with less strict quality/life/consistency).

If your demand is: very high power, very narrow linewidth, extreme environmental stability, special wavelength and special packaging, then the price will increase obviously, which may be close to the price range of those international manufacturers.