Low size and weight, high power fiber laser pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10109978-B2
Application number	US-201715498422-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2017
Priority date	Apr 26, 2016
Publication date	Oct 23, 2018
Grant date	Oct 23, 2018

Abstract

A device for cooling a laser diode pump comprising a Low Size Weight Power Efficient (SWAP) Laser Diode (LSLD) assembly, including a laser diode coupled to a submount on a first surface, the submount comprising a first thermally conductive material and a heatsink coupled to a second surface of the submount, wherein the heatsink comprises a second thermally conductive material, the heatsink comprising one or more members formed on a side opposite the coupled submount. The device further comprising a housing coupled to the LSLD assembly, the housing comprising a carrier structure having an aperture configured to support the LSLD assembly on a first side and having a plurality of channels on a second side, a bottom segment configured to couple to the carrier segment to create an enclosure around the channels between a top side of the bottom segment and the second side of the carrier structure, an inlet and outlet formed in the housing for transporting a coolant into and out of the channels in the enclosure, wherein the members are disposed within the enclosure so as to expose the members to the coolant.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for cooling a laser diode pump comprising:
a Low Size Weight Power Efficient (SWAP) Laser Diode (LSLD) assembly, including:
a laser diode coupled to a submount on a first surface, the submount comprising a first thermally conductive material; and
a heatsink coupled to a second surface of the submount, wherein the heatsink comprises a second thermally conductive material, the heatsink comprising one or more members formed on a side opposite the coupled submount; and

a housing coupled to the LSLD assembly, comprising:
a carrier structure comprising an aperture configured to support the LSLD assembly on a first side and having a plurality of channels on a second side;
a bottom segment configured to couple to the carrier structure to create an enclosure around the channels between a top side of the bottom segment and the second side of the carrier structure; and

an inlet and outlet formed in the housing for transporting a coolant into and out of the channels in the enclosure, wherein the members are disposed within the enclosure so as to expose the members to the coolant.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the channels are inline and the coolant flows in a single direction across the members.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the channels are configured to follow a serpentine path and to cause the coolant to flow across at least two different members in opposite directions.

4. The device of claim 1 , further comprising at least one void formed on the backside of the bottom segment to reduce the weight of the housing.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the housing comprises a plurality of voids formed on the backside of the bottom segment.

6. The device of claim 5 , wherein the voids are rectangular and form a grid.

7. The device of claim 6 , wherein the voids are of various depths.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the carrier structure and the bottom segment are stepped.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more members comprise a plurality of fins.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more members comprise a microporous copper structure.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more members comprise a graphite foam.

12. The device of claim 1 , wherein members comprise posts.

13. The device of claim 1 , wherein members comprise a three-dimensional structure optimized for surface area to volume, turbulent flow and thermal transfer throughout the coolant in close proximity to the members.

14. The device of claim 1 , wherein the coolant comprises water, water and either ethylene glycol (EGW), water and propylene glycol (PGW), ammonia, or 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane (R134A) or any combination thereof.

15. The device of claim 1 , wherein the heatsink comprises aluminum silicon carbide (AlSiC), pyrolytic graphite, annealed pyrolytic graphite (APG), encapsulated APG, copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), or any combination thereof.

16. The device of claim 1 , wherein the submount comprises silicon carbide (SIC), chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond, copper (Cu), aluminum nitride (AlN), cubic boron nitride (c-BN), graphite, graphene, graphene-composites, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanotube composites, diamond, diamond composites or pyrolytic graphite or any combination thereof.

17. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first thermally conductive material and the second thermally conductive material are the same.

18. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first thermally conductive material and the second thermally conductive material are different.

Assignees

• Nlight Inc

Inventors

• Kanskar Manoj
• Boelen Johannes

Classifications

• H01S5/02469

  Passive cooling, e.g. where heat is removed by the housing as a whole or by a heat pipe without any active cooling element like a TEC · CPC title

• H01S5/4025

  Array arrangements, e.g. constituted by discrete laser diodes or laser bar (H01S5/42 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01S5/02208

  characterised by the shape of the housings · CPC title

• H01S5/4012

  Beam combining, e.g. by the use of fibres, gratings, polarisers, prisms · CPC title

• H01S5/02284

  Electricity · mapped topic