LTCC - packaging of a laser optical system for harsh environments

The ceramic multilayer technology “Low Temperature Cofired Ceramics” (LTCC) provides, thanks to its 3D structuring ability, the alternative key technology for the cost efficient packaging of miniaturized laser components. The goal of the development was therefore, to create an ultra-compact platform usable as carrier for laser optical components in the middle and high power range (≤ 50 W). To achieve this aim, an actively cooled edge emitting laser diode will be coupled to a glass fiber in a hermetically sealable package based on the LTCC-technology. Based on simulative and experimental investigations a ceramic integrated 3D-channel structure was developed for cooling an 8 W laser diode emitter (12 W power dissipation). The development of the LTCC active cooling structure components and the experimental results will be presented within the paper. The alignment of the optical elements on the bench was done by a high-precision jet soldering process and enables for an efficient optical coupling of the laser diode to the glass fiber.