Silicon-Based Cooling Package for Laser Gain Medium

• US 20120103569A1
• Filed: 11/01/2011
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gerald H.O. Kim
• Original Assignee: Gerald H.O. Kim
• Inventors: KIM, Gerald Ho
• Granted Patent: US 8,514,901 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/104.11
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 1/00 Tubular elements; Assemblies of tubular elements specially adapted for movement F28F5/00
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 1/12 the means being only outside the tubular element
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/0407 Liquid cooling, e.g. by water
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/042 for solid state lasers H01S3/0401 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/0604 in the form of a plate or disc

Abstract

Embodiments of silicon-based thermal energy transfer apparatus for gain medium crystal of a laser system are provided. For a disk-shaped crystal, the apparatus includes a silicon-based manifold and a silicon-based cover element. For a rectangular cuboid-shaped gain medium crystal, the apparatus includes a first silicon-based manifold, a second silicon-based manifold, and first and second conduit elements coupled between the first and second manifolds. For a right circular cylinder-shaped gain medium crystal, the apparatus includes a first silicon-based manifold, a second silicon-based manifold, and first and second conduit elements coupled between the first and second manifolds.

Claims

1. A thermal energy transfer apparatus that removes thermal energy from a disk-shaped gain medium crystal of a laser system, the apparatus comprising:

a silicon-based manifold that has internal coolant flow channels, a first side having coolant inlet ports and coolant outlet ports that are connected to the internal coolant flow channels, and a second side opposite the first side and being substantially flat to provide surface area to contact with a first primary surface of the crystal; and

a silicon-based cover element that has an opening to expose a portion of a second primary surface of the crystal that is opposite the first primary surface of the crystal when the crystal is mounted between the cover element and the manifold.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the manifold comprises:

a first half structure made of silicon, the first half structure having a first primary surface that is the first side of the manifold and a second primary surface opposite the first primary surface, the first half structure having openings as the coolant inlet ports and the coolant outlet ports of the manifold, the second primary surface having grooves that form a first half of the internal coolant flow channels of the manifold; and

a second half structure made of silicon, the second half structure having a first primary surface that is the second side of the first manifold and a second primary surface opposite the first primary surface, the second primary surface having grooves that form a second half of the internal coolant flow channels of the manifold.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cover element comprises:

a first plate made of silicon, the first plate having an opening smaller than an area of the second primary surface of the crystal to expose a portion of the second primary surface of the crystal; and

a second plate made of silicon, the second plate having an opening larger than the area of the second primary surface of the crystal and shaped to at least partially circumscribe the crystal with the crystal contacting a plurality of points of the opening of the second plate when the crystal is mounted between the cover element and the manifold.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a layer of synthetic diamond on the second side of the manifold to be in direct contact with the crystal when the crystal is mounted between the manifold and the cover element.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of nanotubes on the second side of the manifold to be in direct contact with the crystal when the crystal is mounted between the manifold and the cover element.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an inbound coolant tubing made of non-corrosive material;

an outbound coolant tubing made of non-corrosive material;

an adapter made of non-corrosive material, the adapter having a first side coupled to the first side of the manifold and a second side coupled to the inbound coolant tubing and the outbound coolant tubing, the adapter having an inbound coolant flow channel to allow the coolant to flow from the inbound coolant tubing to the manifold through the adapter, the adapter further having an outbound coolant flow channel to allow the coolant to flow from the manifold to the outbound coolant tubing through the adapter; and

a heat exchanger system coupled to the outbound coolant tubing and the inbound coolant tubing, the heat exchanger system supplying the coolant to the inbound coolant tubing and receiving the coolant from the outbound coolant tubing to remove thermal energy from the coolant.

7. A thermal energy transfer apparatus that removes thermal energy from a gain medium crystal of a laser system, the apparatus comprising:

a first silicon-based manifold;

a second silicon-based manifold;

a first conduit element; and

a second conduit element, the first and second conduit elements being coupled between the first and second manifolds to provide one or more flow paths for a coolant to flow from the second manifold to the first manifold and to allow the crystal to be mounted between the first and second manifolds and the first and second conduit elements with at least the first and second conduit elements in contact with the crystal.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

the first manifold has internal coolant flow channels, a first side having coolant outlet ports that are connected to the internal coolant flow channels, and a second side opposite the first side and having coolant inlet ports that are connected to the internal coolant flow channels, the second side being substantially flat to provide surface area to contact with a first surface of a rectangular cuboid-shaped crystal;

the second manifold has internal coolant flow channels, a first side having coolant inlet ports that are connected to the internal coolant flow channels, and a second side opposite the first side and having coolant outlet ports that are connected to the internal coolant flow channels, the second side being substantially flat to provide surface area to contact with a second surface of the rectangular cuboid-shaped crystal;

the first conduit element has a cavity that allows a portion of a coolant to flow through the first conduit element from a first group of the coolant outlet ports of the second manifold to a first group of the coolant inlet ports of the first manifold, a first side of the first conduit element being substantially flat to provide surface area to contact with a third surface of the rectangular cuboid-shaped crystal; and

the second conduit element has a cavity that allows a portion of a coolant to flow through the first conduit element from a first group of the coolant outlet ports of the second manifold to a first group of the coolant inlet ports of the first manifold, a first side of the first conduit element being substantially flat to provide surface area to contact with a fourth surface of the rectangular cuboid-shaped crystal.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first manifold comprises:

a first half structure made of silicon, the first half structure having a first primary surface that is the first side of the first manifold and a second primary surface opposite the first primary surface, the first half structure having openings as the coolant outlet ports of the first manifold, the second primary surface having grooves that form a first half of the internal coolant flow channels of the first manifold; and

a second half structure made of silicon, the second half structure having a first primary surface that is the second side of the first manifold and a second primary surface opposite the first primary surface, the second half structure having openings as the coolant inlet ports of the first manifold, the second primary surface having grooves that form a second half of the internal coolant flow channels of the first manifold.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second manifold comprises:

a third half structure made of silicon, the third half structure having a first primary surface that is the first side of the second manifold and a second primary surface opposite the first primary surface, the third half structure having openings as the coolant inlet ports of the second manifold, the second primary surface having grooves that form a first half of the internal coolant flow channels of the second manifold; and

a fourth half structure made of silicon, the fourth half structure having a first primary surface that is the second side of the second manifold and a second primary surface opposite the first primary surface, the fourth half structure having openings as the coolant outlet ports of the second manifold, the second primary surface having grooves that form a second half of the internal coolant flow channels of the second manifold.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein at least one of the first conduit element or the second conduit element is made of a metal-based or ceramic material.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a layer of synthetic diamond between and in contact with the first manifold and the crystal; and

a layer of synthetic diamond between and in contact with the second manifold and the crystal.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a plurality of nanotubes between and in contact with the first manifold and the crystal; and

a plurality of nanotubes between and in contact with the second manifold and the crystal.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

an outbound coolant tubing made of non-corrosive material;

a first adapter made of non-corrosive material, the first adapter having a first side coupled to the first side of the first manifold and a second side coupled to the outbound coolant tubing, the first adapter having an internal coolant flow channel to allow the coolant to flow from the first manifold to the outbound coolant tubing through the first adapter;

an inbound coolant tubing made of non-corrosive material; and

a second adapter made of non-corrosive material, the second adapter having a first side coupled to the first side of the second manifold and a second side coupled to the inbound coolant tubing, the second adapter having an internal coolant flow channel to allow the coolant to flow from the inbound coolant tubing to the second manifold through the second adapter.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a heat exchanger system coupled to the outbound coolant tubing and the inbound coolant tubing, the heat exchanger system supplying the coolant to the inbound coolant tubing and receiving the coolant from the outbound coolant tubing to remove thermal energy from the coolant.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a coolant supplier coupled to the inbound coolant tubing to supply the coolant at a first temperature range; and

a coolant receiver coupled to the outbound coolant tubing to receive the coolant at a second temperature range that is higher than the temperature range.

17. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

the first manifold has internal coolant flow channels, a first side having coolant outlet ports that are connected to the internal coolant flow channels, and a second side opposite the first side and having coolant inlet ports that are connected to the internal coolant flow channels, the second side having a groove to accommodate a portion of a right circular cylinder-shaped crystal;

the second manifold has internal coolant flow channels, a first side having coolant inlet ports that are connected to the internal coolant flow channels, and a second side opposite the first side and having coolant outlet ports that are connected to the internal coolant flow channels, the second side having a groove to accommodate a portion of the right circular cylinder-shaped crystal;

the first conduit element has a cavity that allows a portion of a coolant to flow through the first conduit element from a first group of the coolant outlet ports of the second manifold to a first group of the coolant inlet ports of the first manifold, a first side of the first conduit element being shaped to accommodate a portion of the right circular cylinder-shaped crystal; and

the second conduit element has a cavity that allows a portion of a coolant to flow through the first conduit element from a first group of the coolant outlet ports of the second manifold to a first group of the coolant inlet ports of the first manifold, a first side of the second conduit element being shaped to accommodate a portion of the right circular cylinder-shaped crystal.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first manifold comprises:

a first half structure made of silicon, the first half structure having a first primary surface that is the first side of the first manifold and a second primary surface opposite the first primary surface, the first half structure having openings as the coolant outlet ports of the first manifold, the second primary surface having grooves that form a first half of the internal coolant flow channels of the first manifold; and

a second half structure made of silicon, the second half structure having a first primary surface that is the second side of the first manifold and a second primary surface opposite the first primary surface, the second half structure having openings as the coolant inlet ports of the first manifold, the second primary surface having grooves that form a second half of the internal coolant flow channels of the first manifold.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the second manifold comprises:

a third half structure made of silicon, the third half structure having a first primary surface that is the first side of the second manifold and a second primary surface opposite the first primary surface, the third half structure having openings as the coolant inlet ports of the second manifold, the second primary surface having grooves that form a first half of the internal coolant flow channels of the second manifold; and

a fourth half structure made of silicon, the fourth half structure having a first primary surface that is the second side of the second manifold and a second primary surface opposite the first primary surface, the fourth half structure having openings as the coolant outlet ports of the second manifold, the second primary surface having grooves that form a second half of the internal coolant flow channels of the second manifold.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

a filler material with high thermal conduction that fills a gap of space between the crystal, the first manifold, the second manifold, the first conduit element, and the second conduit element.