Enhancing heat dissipation for laser illumination by utilizing the phosphor in metal combined with vapor chamber (PiMCVC)

Abstract

Laser-driven illumination has unique advantages in high-power applications. However, the low thermal conductivity of the phosphor converter and high-power density of the laser result in a serious heat dissipation problem. Although the thermal conductivity has been improved in the previous work, the heat transferred from the facula cannot be further dissipated. Herein, a phosphor in metal combined with vapor chamber (PiMCVC) was proposed. A copper foam skeleton structure (CFSS) coated with boron nitride (BN) was welded to an ultra-thin vapor chamber (UTVC). The heat dissipated from the facula can be transferred through the CFSS. The heat dissipation area is significantly enlarged by the UTVC. The facula central temperature of PiMCVC can be maintained below 107.0 °C under a load of 4.92 W while that of the reference sample is 530.18 °C. Even at a laser load of 11.58 W, the PiMCVC can still work normally with a luminous flux of 1568.37 lm. Due to the superior thermal management, under the laser power of 9.20 W, the PiMCVC sample can be stably operated for 720 min with a luminous flux of approximately 1150 lm and a CCT of about 4000 K. This work provides a new approach to the thermal management of high-power laser-driven illumination.