Importance

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Abstract

A heatsink and an optical system are provided for use in conjunction with a dissipating semiconductor or electronic device, such as a light source, that generate a large amount of heat and is required to be cooled for optimum performance. The light source may be a laser diode or laser array or bar and is generally mounted on the heatsink with other optical components, such as collimating and focusing lenses, isolators or terminal ends of optical fibers, for coupling the output beam of the light source in aligned relation to these optical elements. Because of the higher temperature operation of such light sources, the heat generated causes thermal expansion of mechanically connected structures, such as between the heatsink for supporting the light source and its associated submount and an underlying support, usually a cooler. Because of the differences in thermal expansion rates between these different structures comprised of materials of different coefficients of expansion, the preset or subsequently adjusted alignment of the output beam with these associated optical components will become misaligned due to mechanical warpage and stress deflection of the heatsink. The disclosed heatsink is designed to provide high efficient heat transfer from the heat dissipated from the device while concurrently absorbing mechanical stresses due to differences in the thermal heat transfer coefficients between the heatsink and the underlying support so that component misalignment does not occur.

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First Claim