Abstract

As laser-diode bars produce higher output power, complementary improvements in heat sink performance will be needed to avoid limiting the maximum available power.[1] Laser-diode arrays can be categorized into two groups: those in which many diode bars are bonded onto a single heat-sinking structure, and those that utilize an individual heat sink for each diode bar. which are then stacked together. The latter approach often exploits microchannels for water cooling to achieve the best thermal performance,[2] but this method suffers from the large number of components and gaskets. In contrast, the high thermal impedance of the single heat sink approach does not scale well to future needs, as the output/thermal power of diode bars are steadily increasing.

© 2000 Optical Society of America