Liquid cooled laser bar arrays incorporating diamond/copper expansion matched materials
A laser diode array having a plurality of diode bars bonded by a hard solder to expansion matched spacers and mounted on a gas or liquid cooled heatsink. The spacers are formed of a material such as copper/diamond composite material having a thermal expansion that closely matches that of the laser bars.
1. A laser diode array having a plurality of laser diode bars sandwiched between spacer material, and mounted by soldered to a substrate,
wherein the spacer material is formed of a material having a thermal expansion that closely matches that of the laser diode bars, and wherein the spacer material is a copper/diamond composite material comprising 30-50 volume percent diamond and the balance comprising primary copper; wherein the diamond particles are relatively uniform in size; wherein the diamond particles are coated with a material selected from the group consisting of Cr, W, Mo, Co, Ti, Si, SiC, TiN, TiC, Ta and Zr; wherein the substrate includes an inlet hole and an outlet hole for passing a coolant fluid through the substrate.
2. The laser bar array of claim 1 , wherein the diamond/copper composite material comprises 35-45 volume percent diamond and the balance comprising primarily copper.
3. The laser bar array of claim 2 , wherein the diamond/copper composite material comprises 38-42 volume percent diamond and the balance comprising primarily copper.
4. The laser bar array of claim 1 , wherein the diamond particles have a maximum size of 500 microns.
5. The laser bar array of claim 4 , wherein the diamond particles have a maximum size of 200 microns.
6. The laser bar array of claim 5 , wherein the diamond particles have a maximum size of about 100 microns.
7. The laser bar array of claim 1 , wherein the solder comprises a hard, high temperature solder.
8. The laser bar array of claim 7 , wherein the solder comprises a gold/tin hard, high temperature solder.
9. The laser bar array of claim 7 , wherein the solder comprises a hard, high temperature gold/germanium solder.
10. The laser bar array of claim 1 , wherein the laser bars are aligned end to end on the substrate.
11. The laser bar array of claim 1 , wherein the laser bars are aligned parallel to one another on the substrate.
12. The laser bar array of claim 1 , wherein the substrate includes an inlet hole and an outlet hole for passing a coolant through the substrate.
13. The laser bar array of claim 12 , wherein the coolant comprises a gas.
14. The laser bar array of claim 12 , wherein the coolant comprises a liquid.
15. A laser diode array having a plurality of laser diode bars sandwiched between spacer material, and mounted by a hard, high temperature solder to wherein the spacer material is formed of a copper/diamond composite material having a thermal expansion that closely matches that of the laser bars; wherein the diamond particles are relatively uniform in size; wherein the solder comprises a hard, high temperature gold/germanium solder or a gold/tin hard, high temperature solder; wherein the substrate includes an inlet hole and an outlet hole for passing a coolant through the substrate.
16. The laser bar array of claim 15 , wherein the diamond/copper composite material comprises 30-50volume percent diamond and the balance comprising primarily copper.
17. The laser bar array of claim 16 , wherein the diamond/copper composite material comprises 35-45 volume percent diamond and the balance comprising primarily copper.
18. The laser bar array of claim 17 , wherein the diamond/copper composite material comprises 38-42 volume percent diamond and the balance comprising primarily copper.
19. The laser bar array of claim 15 , wherein the diamond particles have a maximum size of 500 microns.
20. The laser bar array of claim 19 , wherein the diamond particles have a maximum size of 200 microns.
21. The laser bar array of claim 20 , wherein the diamond particles have a maximum size of about 100 microns.
22. The laser bar array of claim 15 , wherein the diamond particles are coated with a material selected from the group consisting of Cr, W, Mo, Co, Ti, Si, SiC, TiN, TiC, Ta and Zr.
23. The laser bar array of claim 15 , wherein the laser bars are aligned end to end on the substrate.
24. The laser bar array of claim 15 , wherein the laser bars are aligned parallel to one another on the substrate.
25. The laser bar array of claim 15 , wherein the substrate includes an inlet hole and an outlet hole for passing a coolant through the substrate.
26. The laser bar array of claim 25 , wherein the coolant comprises a gas.
27. The laser bar array of claim 25 , wherein the coolant comprises a liquid.