We all know that butterfly packaged lasers are widely used in daily life, so do you know how to use them and what to pay attention to? The following small series will give you a simple answer.

Butterfly packaged laser is generally used in optical communication, precision measurement or scientific research equipment. Its structure integrates laser chip, optical fiber, thermoelectric cooler (TEC), temperature sensor, and some models also have isolators. Its original design intention is actually to stabilize the output, that is, to keep the laser wavelength and power from drifting, which is especially critical for communication systems.

Be sure to check the pin definition before connecting the power. The pin distribution of different manufacturers and models will be different. For example, some have changed the position of thermocouple and TEC pin. If this is wrong, the TEC will be burned lightly, and the chip will be hopeless directly.

There is TEC in the butterfly package, which is responsible for maintaining the temperature stability of the laser chip. For example, if you want to stabilize the laser wavelength at 1310nm, the chip temperature may be controlled at around 25℃. Generally, it should be matched with a stable temperature control driver board, such as ILX or Thorlabs modules.

Then there is the current drive. Butterfly packaged lasers generally require constant current driving, especially DFB or FP series lasers.

When using, it is also recommended to equip the laser with an electrostatic protection environment. The inside of the chip is easily damaged by ESD, and sometimes the appearance looks intact, but the performance is actually unstable. Another thing that is easy to ignore is the optical fiber part. Butterfly package usually has pigtail output, so make sure the optical fiber is clean. Generally speaking, butterfly-shaped packaged laser is indeed a kind of packaging form with stable performance and mature structure, but it also requires higher use environment and operation mode.