5.6mm Laser Diode Package

Important Considerations for 5.6mm Laser Diode Packages

TO-Can Laser Diode Heat Dissipation

When operating a laser diode, proper thermal management is critical to avoid damage. A few key aspects to consider are the generation and dissipation of waste heat, laser diode operating temperature, and proper heatsinking. This article will focus on TO-Can packages, giving consideration to these key aspects and providing useful information for proper thermal management.

The Transistor Outline package (or TO-Can) was developed to create a highly reliable (often hermetically sealed) package with a very low thermal resistance (impedance), standardized to keep costs down and for universal integration in accordance with JEDEC (Joint Electron Device Engineering Council). A TO-Can consists of a TO header and a TO cap. The header, typically made of copper for its low thermal resistance, contains internal components such as a laser diode chip or die, a photodiode, and a thermoelectric cooler (TEC). The cap, typically formed from steel, encloses these internal components, providing a barrier for contaminants such as moisture and dust, and holds any optical elements in place such as a window or focusing optics.

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The Three Most Common Mistakes when Mounting and Heatsinking a TO-Can

• Always heatsink the stem, never the cap: The most critical factor to understand when mounting a TO-can is that the laser diode is heatsunk to the stem of the package, not to the cap.  As you can see from the image above, the laser diode sits on a metal tongue, protruding upward from the base of the package.  Both the tongue and stem are typically machined out of a solid piece of a highly conductive metal such as copper tungsten.  This way, all of the excess heat produced by the laser chip will flow down the tongue and be dissipated through the much larger stem on the bottom.  As a result, there is zero advantage to heatsinking the cap.  Instead, all heatsinking should be applied to the base of the package.

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How Removing the TEC Increases Laser Diode Stability

For most laser diode applications mounting a TEC at the base of the TO-can, or directly under the laser platform in a 14-pin butterfly package, provides enough temperature stability to produce a stable output.  But, for high-end applications requiring extremely low noise and extremely long coherence lengths, the TEC itself can end up inducing higher frequency noise.

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How Can We Help?

With over 25 years experience providing 5.6mm laser diode packages to OEM integrators working in various markets and applications, and 1000s of units fielded, we have the experience to ensure you get the right product for the application. Working with RPMC ensures you are getting trusted advice from our knowledgeable and technical staff on a wide range of laser products.  RPMC and our manufacturers are willing and able to provide custom solutions for your unique application.

If you have any questions, or if you would like some assistance please Contact Us here. Furthermore, you can email us at [email protected] to talk to a knowledgeable Product Manager.

Alternatively, use the filters on this page to assist in narrowing down the selection of 5.6mm lasers for sale. Finally, head to our Knowledge Center with our Lasers 101 page and Blogs, Whitepapers, and FAQ pages for further, in-depth reading.

Finally, check out our Limited Supply – In Stock – Buy Now page: This page contains an ever-changing assortment of various types of new lasers at marked-down/discount prices.