Direct-to-Metal Bonding for Improved Thermal Performance of Lasers

The most promising and scalable high-power laser geometries effectively manage thermal transfer from the laser crystal to the heat sink. While next generation crystals and pump geometries aim to eliminate waste heat in the first place, it will always be the case that efficient removal of heat will be paramount for further power scaling. When powers reach the kilowatt level, in an area about the size of a penny, heat removal is the roadblock. Soldering represents the current state-of-the-art, but still has relatively low thermal conductivity and challenges with matching thermal expansions. Various thermal compromises occur, even for the best currently-available thermal attachment methods. Precision Photonics Corporation has recently demonstrated a process Direct-to-Metal Bonding that can replace soldering or gluing as the thermal attachment method for certain high-power lasers, and enables higher thermal conductivity interfaces for many other applications, also. This Phase 1 effort will provide detailed characterization of that process, and validate functional laser devices using this thermal attachment method via measurement of thermo-optic aberrations.