Apparatus and method for passive heat pipe cooling of solid state laser heads

Patent 5253260 Issued on October 12, 1993. Estimated Expiration Date:

December 20, 2011. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

3619808

3784929

Hermetically-sealed injection semiconductor laser device
Patent #: 4003074
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Inventor: Miyake

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Patent #: 5084886
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Inventor: Martin

Modular package for cooling a laser diode array
Patent #: 5105429
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Inventor

Palombo, Mario P.

Application

No. 812505 filed on 12/20/1991

US Classes:

372/34, PARTICULAR TEMPERATURE CONTROL372/35, Liquid coolant372/36, Heat sink372/50.12Laser array

Examiners

Primary: Healy, Brian

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Sales; Michael W., Denson-Low; Wanda K.

International Class

H01S 003/04

Abstract

In a solid state laser assembly (12), arrays (60) of pumping laser diode bars (62), placed on opposed sides of a laser rod (36), are maintained at an optimal operating temperature by a pair of heat pipes (16) physically and thermally coupled at their respective evaporator sections (18) to both the diode bars and the laser rod. The laser assembly includes a pump cavity (34) configured as an I-beam having two pairs of terminal interfaces (58) respectively bounding a pair of elongated U-shaped channels (48). Heat from laser rod (36) is conducted through pump cavity (34) to the heat pipe evaporator sections (18). A mounting block (64) physically and thermally supports each of the diode array assemblies for spreading heat therefrom also to the evaporator sections.

Other References

"Variable Conductance Heat Pipe Technology for Precise Temperature Control of the NASA/DDLT Transmitter" by D. E. Vanevenhoven and D. Antoniak, presented in SPIE vol. 1044 Optomechanical Design of Laser Transmitters and Receivers (1989), pp. 135-14