8/30/2016

ThermalManagementofLaserDiodesNasaTechBriefs::Aerospace&DefenseTechnology

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ThermalManagementofLaserDiodesNasaTechBriefs::Aerospace&DefenseTechnology

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ThermalManagementofLaserDiodes
Created:Monday,01August2016
Page1of2
Highpowerlaserdiodescangenerateagreatdealofheat.Evenforlaserdiodesoperatingwith70%orhigher
efficiency,alargeamountofappliedenergyisconvertedtoheat.Sincetheperformanceandopticalefficiency
ofalaserdiodeisdependentuponoperatingtemperature,maintainingastabletemperatureclosetoroom
temperature(about+25C)isinstrumentalinachievinghighreliability.

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Liquidcooledcomponentssuchasmicrochannelcoolers(MCCs)can
providedependablethermalmanagementandcontributetolongoperatinglifetimesforhighpowerlaserdiodes.
ButwhataretheexpectedoperatinglifetimesoftheMCCsthemselves?Byperforminglifetimetestingon
MCCswithoutlaserdiodesattached,itispossibletodetermineusefullifetimesforthesecomponents,of20,000
hoursormore.ThequalityofthecoolingwaterintheMCCshasagreatdealtodowiththeduration.
Inatypicalhighpowerlaserdiodearray,liquidcoolingcomponentshelpdissipateheatgeneratedbythe
diodes.AnMCCisonesuchcomponent,aminiatureheatexchangerthatisalsousedforelectricalconnections
tothelaserdiodesasbusbars.Itisformedwithmicrochannelsonlyafewhundredmicronsinsizeand
comprisedofthermallyconductivematerial,suchashighqualitycopper.Highpowerlaserdiodesaremounted
onMCCswiththesemiconductorspsidefacingdown(Figure1).Inanarray,theMCCsmaybestackedin
horizontalorverticalconfigurations.AnelectricalcircuitisassembledbymountinganMCCwithanisolator
andatoplidformountingwirebondsforthediodesncontacts.InletandoutletholesintheMCCsenablethe
flowofcoolingwaterthroughthemicrochannelstohelpdissipateheat.

1.AhighpowerlaserdiodebusbarismountedonanMCCforproperthermalmanagement.
Sincethecoolingwaterissurroundedbysuchaneffectiveelectricalconductor,deionized(DI)water(H2O),
withitslowelectricalconductivity(andhighelectricalresistance),istypicallyusedforMCCcoolingpurposes.
NotonlycantheDIH2Ominimizethermalconductionresistance,italsohelpsreducethepossibilityofthe
coolingwaterconductingcurrentandcausingashortcircuit.AlthoughcopperandDIwatercombinefor
excellentcoolingpropertiesinMCCs,wateralsocauseselectrochemicalreactionswiththecopperthatcan
resultincorrosionanddegradationofthemetalsmechanicalandelectricalproperties.
LifetimeMCCTesting
ByperforminglifetimetestingonMCCs,itispossibletobetterunderstandthesebreakdownmechanisms.
LifetimetestingwasfocusedonthematerialpropertiesoftheMCCs,withoutconnectiontohighpowerlaser
diodesandwithoutconsideringtheimpactofthermalenergyfromthediodesontheMCCs.Testingwas
concernedwiththedifferenttypesofcorrosioneffectsoncopperoveranoperatinglifetimeandhowthecooling
waterthroughtheMCCsaffectstheirstructuralintegrityandusefuloperatinglifetimes.

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2.Typicalsetupfora5diodelaserverticalMCCstack
Oxidationeffectsfromwatercanbeparticularlycorrosivetocopper,especiallyascopperwearsdownovertime
andformscoppersolutionswiththewaterwithinanMCC.Iftheelectrodepotentialsofthesesolutionsarelow,
thecorrosionwillbeminimal.Butastheelectrodepotentialincreases,reactionswithorwithoutapplied
electricalpotentialcanincrease,andincreasetherateofcorrosion.Onewaytocombatthisistheuseof
differentmaterialsascoatingsforthecoppermicrochannels,toactaselectricalbarriersbetweenthecopper
surfacesandtheDIH2Owithoutsacrificingthermalconductivity.
Copperdegradationcanoccurasanelectrochemicalreactionwithwaterandappliedelectricalenergy.Buteven
withoutappliedpotential,wateralonecancausecoppererosion.Ascopperdissolvesinanaqueoussolution
overtime,thedissolvedcopperwillbedepositedondifferentsurfaceswithoutanMCC,withthepossibilityof
obstructingthepassagesthroughthecoolerandslowingtheflowofcoolingwater.Atmosphericcarbondioxide
(CO2)canalsobecomedissolvedinthecoolingwaterinMCCs,decreasingthepHofthewatersolutionand
contributingtocomplexcorrosionanddegradationeffects.Thus,thequalityofthecoolingwaterisacritical
elementinminimizingthebreakdownofMCCs.

3.Atotalof80coolerswiththreedifferentMCCconfigurationswereevaluatedaspartofthe
lifetimetesting.
Whiletheycontributetocorrosion,electrochemicalreactionsbetweencopperandwaterarealsoactingto
protectthecopperfromexcessiveoxidation.Aspartofapassivationprocess,solidcopperfromcopperoxides
andcopperhydroxidesformedinthereactionsofthecopperandwateralsocovertheinternalcoppersurfaces,
servingtoblocktheeffectsoffurtherpassivationprocesses.Unfortunately,thepassivationlayerisnotas
corrosionresistantasthebarecopperanditcanberemovedathighfluidflowrates(1to2L/minute).This
allowsthebarecoppertocomeincontactwithelectrolytic,oxygencontainingwatertoformanotheroxidation
layeronthecopper,inaprocessthatconstantlyrepeats.Butbyemployingoptimalliquidflowrates,the
passivationprocesscanbecontrolledandtheoperatinglifetimeofanMCCcanbeextended.
Tobetterunderstandthelifetimemechanismsofmicrochannelcoolers,threedifferentmicrostructures(CUR
3/1,CUR5/1,andCUR7/1)wereevaluatedatdifferentflowrates:0.2,0.3,and0.5L/minuteincoolingwater
withconstantconductivityof5S/cm.Thecoolingwaterwasmaintainedataconstanttemperatureofabout
roomtemperature(+25C),attypicalconductionforelectronictesting.Theanalysiswasperformedtolearn
moreaboutthelifetimeeffectsofthemicrocoolerstheheatingeffectsofdevicessuchaslaserdiodeswerenot
consideredaspartoftheMCClifetimetesting.

4.ThethreedifferentMCCconfigurationsevaluatedforlifetimetestingweretheCUR3/1,CUR
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5/1,andCUR7/1coolerswith5,6,and5layers,respectively.
Atestsystemwasassembledwithasingleloopandbypassline(Figure2).Atotalof80differentMCCswere
evaluatedaspartofthelifetimetesting,usingatotalof300MCCs(Figure3).Thesingleloopincludesapump,
pipingtothelaserdiodestacks,thestacksandassociatedfittingsandfixtures,thereturnpipingfromthestacks,
thechiller,a15mfilter,andaDIwaterreservoir.Thebypassconsistsofacontrolvalveandanionexchange
bed.
Thesystemwasfilledwithdistilledwaterwithconductivityof5S/cm,automaticallycontrolledbyamixed
bedionexchanger.Thewatertemperaturewasmaintainedat+25C(roomtemperature).Constantflowratesof
0.2,0.3,and0.5L/minwereachievedforstackswith5,8,and12MCCsforthreedifferentMCCdesigns
(Figure4).Testingwasperformedtorevealtheeffectsofasmuchas15,000hoursunderdifferentcoolingwater
conditions.
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