Strain-Tolerant Organic-Ceramic Coatings for the Passivation of Laser Diode

This Small Business Innovative Research Phase I project will develop and demonstrate a passivation process that will result in a pin-hole free protective coating for nickel-gold (Ni/Au) plated copper micro-channel coolers (MCC) used for laser diode thermal management. This proposed approach will use atomic layer deposition (ALD) to deposit highly uniform ceramic thin films on commercially available MCCs. The ALD coating will provide corrosion resistance and erosion protection for the micro-channel, thereby increasing reliability. To increase the strain tolerance of the ceramic coating and eliminate any pinholesin the coating, the micro-channel surface will be pretreated with an organic self assembled monolayer (SAM). The SAM will provide an ideal surface for ALD bonding, improve uniformity by masking surface defects in the metal, and provide compliance for mismatch in thermal expansion coefficient. This innovative metal-organic-ceramic combination will allow Ni/Au-plated copper MCCs to transition from primarily laboratory use to an economical means of cooling commercial and military high power laser diode systems.