High-heat-dissipation hermetic laser packages with copper heat sinks
High-power laser diodes generate significant thermal loads that directly influence output stability, wavelength drift, beam quality, and device lifetime. SCHOTT’s hermetic laser packages, including TO-based and SMD designs, are engineered with integrated copper heat sinks for efficient thermal management, enabling stable high-power operation even under demanding thermal conditions. Along with precise alignment and robust hermetic sealing, this makes the packages ideal for laser projectors, automotive HUDs, laser marking and engraving systems, and other high-power laser modules.
Superior thermal management for high-power lasers
Effective heat dissipation is essential for achieving high and stable optical output power, minimal wavelength shift, consistent beam quality, and an extended laser lifetime. SCHOTT’s copper-enhanced hermetic packages provide efficient heat spreading through brazed copper heat sinks or copper slugs, reduced thermal resistance (Rth) for optimized module performance, and long-term hermeticity that protects lasers against moisture and contamination.
Fig. 1: The graphic shows the thermal resistance of SCHOTT ‘copper through-hole’ headers compared to different designs. The lower the thermal resistance (Rth value), the better the design is at dissipating heat away from the chip. The unique through-hole copper heat sink design offers superior heat dissipation capabilities compared to a surface-mounted copper heat sink.
Design flexibility for advanced laser architectures
SCHOTT enables engineers to tailor packages to their specific optical and thermal requirements:
- Copper heat sinks or heat slugs brazed to TO bases or integrated into rectangular packages
- Customizable copper geometries optimized for thermal distribution
- Option for SMD-style hermetic packages for compact, board-level integration
- Custom support for multi-laser modules, stacked emitters, and high-density laser designs with in-house thermal simulation capabilities.
TO-9 hermetic headers with copper heat sink
The TO-9 hermetic header with a copper heat sink is engineered for high-power laser systems requiring highly efficient thermal extraction and mechanical precision. Suitable for blue, green, red, and violet high-power laser diodes. TO-9 copper headers are potential to be the cost-efficient alternatives to box packages.
Key advantages:
- Thermal resistance (Rth) of approx. 8 K/W (thermal simulation including laser, submount & header)
- High surface flatness accuracy for optimal thermal interface
- Ideal for projection systems, automotive HUD lasers, laser marking, and industrial high-power modules
- Available with customized geometries, extended copper platforms, or multi-laser configurations
Copper heat-sink SMD hermetic packages
SCHOTT’s hermetic SMD packages with copper heat sinks provide excellent thermal performance in compact footprints.
Benefits include:
- Highly efficient copper-based heat dissipation
- Low-profile SMD formats for compact module integration
- Custom pin layouts, window materials, and copper configurations
- Suitable for VCSEL arrays, edge-emitter lasers, and multi-emitter modules
Typical applications
- Laser marking & engraving
- High-power projection and display systems
- Automotive laser headlights & HUD modules
- Industrial sensing & metrology lasers
- Medical and scientific high-power laser devices
Why high-power laser manufacturers choose SCHOTT
- 80+ years of expertise in hermetic glass-to-metal sealing (GTMS) technologies
- Proven capability for copper integration in laser packages
- High-precision production of TO headers and SMD hermetic packages
- Global production footprint ensuring supply reliability
- Engineering support for custom high-power laser module design
- SCHOTT enables the development of more powerful, more stable, and longer-lasting high-power laser systems.
To find out more about what makes SCHOTT the preferred hermetic packaging supplier, read more here.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Laser systems with high thermal loads — such as high-power laser diodes, laser marking modules, projector lasers, and automotive HUD lasers — benefit most from copper heat-sink hermetic packages. Copper’s high thermal conductivity removes heat rapidly, improving output stability and extending laser lifetime.
Thermal simulations show an approximate Rth of 8 K/W, including the laser, submount, and header with an input power of 9W. This makes SCHOTT’s TO-9 header highly effective for high-power laser applications requiring strong heat dissipation.
Hermeticity protects the laser chip and optics from moisture, corrosion, and contamination, all of which can degrade optical performance or cause early failure. For high-power operation, long-term hermetic sealing is essential to maintain reliability and device lifetime.
Yes. SCHOTT offers extensive customization, including copper shape, heat slug geometry, pin layout, window materials, and package dimensions, enabling optimization for customer-specific laser module designs.
Absolutely. SCHOTT can design multi-laser hermetic modules, including stacked emitters, multi-wavelength configurations, and multi-laser arrays with optimized thermal paths.
Yes, SCHOTT’s SMD hermetic packages with copper heat sinks are suitable for compact high-power modules, especially VCSEL arrays and edge-emitter designs requiring efficient thermal extraction in tight spaces.
Key industries include industrial manufacturing, automotive, consumer projection, medical technology, and scientific instrumentation — anywhere high-power laser diodes require reliable thermal management and long lifetime.
Robert Hettler
Head of R&D Opto-electronics