Numerical modeling and simulation of laser diode diamond microcoolers

Abstract

High heat flux management schemes in laser diodes require appropriate cooling applications. Micro channel coolers are now widely used in high power laser diode industry with the highest total thermal resistance reported as low as 0.03 cm2-K/W with pressure drops as low as 10~50 psi. Since, the geometries, flow rates as well as high heat fluxes of current SOA LD micro-coolers differ, it is necessary to understand their thermal performance relative to conductive, convective and caloric thermal resistance. To do this comparison an equivalent effective micro-cooler thermal model is developed and then iterated with scaled input parameters from SOA LD micro-coolers. The objective is to identify the dominant thermal resistance - that plays the major role in decreasing the total thermal resistance. This paper will then predict a micro cooler that will perhaps be able to reduce total thermal resistance lower than 0.01 K-cm2/W with minimal pressure drop for next generation high heat flux applications. The current study will be restricted to only single phase liquid cooling.