Laser diodes have become an essential piece of equipment across numerous industries, and because they come in so many shapes and sizes, there are a variety of mounts available. Laser diodes are used incredibly differently and require the correct mount to accommodate the laser. Here are a few of the most important things you need to consider when finding the right laser diode mount for your needs.
Temperature
Lasers are temperature sensitive, and many lasers are high-powered, meaning they will generate a lot of heath throughout their use. High-power laser diodes can require tens or even hundreds of watts, but even lower-powered lasers benefit from a precise thermal design. This way, the laser diode can not only work and achieve a high level of performance, but also hold up to the heat being generated. The laser mount must have an appropriate heat sink to both handle the heat and not interfere with the operation of the laser.
Laser diode mounts need to withstand the heat generated from the laser diode and the thermoelectric modules, but they must not interfere with the cooling. Many laser packages already have internal thermoelectric coolers (TEC), so the laser junction does not become too hot, and the mount must provide this heat sink. Thermal load is a significant factor that you need to appropriately consider in these situations, as improper temperature control can lead to laser diode damage.
The thermal interface between the laser diode package and the mount is critical. Each mount has different thermal resistances and different kinds of heat sinks, as they are all meant to accommodate varying lasers. Some laser diode mounts are more versatile and can integrate well with different laser diodes, but this is never something that you should take for granted. You should always ensure that you find the correct mount that can support your laser diode packages, guaranteeing they are working as they should.
Versatility
As mentioned in the last point, some laser diode mounts are more versatile and can work with a wide variety of lasers, while some are more niche. There are different categories of laser diode mounts, and some can work with different varieties of lasers, while others only work with one kind of laser.
Industry-standard packages, such as butterfly, TO-can, HHL, DIL, and others often have mounts specifically designed for them. However, many packages do not fit into the standard models, and custom variants are needed to support them. Further, high-power lasers will typically demand a different design to handle the higher heat load they generate. You can even find multi-channel mounts that support multiple devices for higher-density applications.
Certain laser diodes are designed to be used for a wide range of applications. Ensure your mount can support a wide range of temperatures, waste heat loads, and other operating conditions.
Mounting Surface
Lasers often contain precisely aligned optical components, so for optimum laser performance, it’s important that the laser be properly attached to the mount without bowing or warping. In addition, it is necessary that the temperature across the mounting surface be relatively uniform.
A well-designed mount should provide an area at least as large as the laser for the best thermal performance. The surface should also be very flat and smooth to prevent warping. Higher-performance mounts, particularly those with active temperature control, use copper instead of aluminum for the mounting plate. Copper is a significantly better conductor for heat, resulting in superior temperature uniformity and higher power.
Customizability
As mentioned in the previous points, there are a lot of different factors that can negatively influence your laser diode operations. For example, if you don’t properly regulate temperatures, or if the mounting surface is not flat, the entire laser diode package will suffer. Moreover, as mentioned previously, people have different needs for their lasers. Because of this versatility and because mounts need to be so fine-tuned to work with their specific packages, you might want to find a mount that you can easily change.
Customizability is great in any industry as your needs are multifaceted and ever-changing. Static pieces of equipment are obstacles when your industry is constantly going through these changes. For example, if you are using a specific laser diode more frequently and for higher intensity operations, you may have to fine-tune your mount to better protect against high heat loads. A high laser diode temperature and a mount that doesn’t work well with those temperatures can lead to inaccuracies, and it can even verge on being unsafe.
These sorts of changes will never come out of nowhere. When working with lasers, you will know what you need the laser for and how your equipment needs will need to change as a result. Instead of purchasing different mounts for different needs, choose a variable mount that you can additionally customize to fit your varying laser applications.
Additional Handling
When working with a laser diode and mounts, you want to handle them as little as possible. These are precise pieces of equipment, and any minor interference can lead to drastic variances in results and overall laser quality. With every mount, you will need to handle the laser diode to an extent, but you want to limit it as much as possible. However, with some lasers and mounts, you will need to get involved a little more than with others.
For example, with higher-powered devices, you will require a small amount of grease to improve the thermal contact of the laser to the mount. However, it is easy to go overboard and put too much grease. In addition to properly greasing the laser, some lasers will require more cleaning than others. While some of this handling is unavoidable, you may still want to limit how much you are working with the mount and consider a lower-power device that requires little to no grease or cleaning.
Laser diodes have become an essential piece of equipment across numerous industries, and because they come in so many shapes and sizes, there are a variety of mounts available. Laser diodes are used incredibly differently and require the correct mount to accommodate the laser. Here are a few of the most important things you need to consider when finding the right laser diode mount for your needs.
