Nextreme Announces High Temperature Gold-Tin Thermoelectric Module For Optoelectronic Cooling

The OptoCooler HV14 module is a high heat pumping thermoelectric device that is designed for standard electrical power requirements. At 85°C, the HV14 operates at a maximum of 2.7V and can pump 1.7 watts of heat in a footprint of only 3mm². The module can create a temperature differential (ΔT) of up to 50°C between its hot and cold sides, making it suited for the cooling and temperature control of optoelectronic devices such as laser diodes.

AuSn solder provides excellent joint strength, strain resistance and thermal conductivity. After the initial reflow during device assembly, the melting point of this particular AuSn solder is 320°C, enabling subsequent attachment of laser diodes and other devices to Nextreme's thermoelectric modules at lower temperatures, typically at 283°C, which is the industry standard. The use of this strain resistant material is particularly important for the laser diodes where movement of solder as little as 10 microns can cause significant alignment issues.

“Nextreme now offers the standard for solder assembly established by the optoelectronics industry, said Dr. Paul A. Magill, vice president of marketing and business development for Nextreme. The introduction of gold-tin in the HV14 product line addresses our customers’ most challenging assembly requirements.