The core advantage of MIM copper in optical modules is to perfectly solve the three core pain points of high thermal conductivity, complex and precise structure, and mass production and cost reduction that cannot be taken into account by traditional zinc alloys and machined copper plates in 800G/1.6T high-power scenarios. It has become the mainstream solution for the thermal management upgrade of high-speed optical modules.
Thermal performance advantages
The thermal conductivity of customized copper alloy MIM parts can reach more than 320W/m · K, which is 2 to 3 times that of traditional zinc alloy shells. The overall temperature rise of the 1.6T optical module can be reduced by 5 to 10 ° C. This completely solves the hot problem of local heat flux density of DSP chips exceeding 100W/cm ², and the signal error bit rate decreases by more than 40%.
One-piece solderless cold plate: The MIM process directly forms the complex micro-channel closed inside, completely eliminating the weld leakage and flux residue hidden dangers of the traditional brazing splicing process, greatly improving the internal cleanliness of the flow channel, reducing the overall thermal resistance of the cold plate by 20% compared with the traditional welding process, and increasing the power density of the supporting cabinet from 15kW to 45kW.
Floating structure for precise heat control: It can be integrally formed with a heat dissipation cold plate with an independent floating unit. Through the built-in spring balance design, the fit between the cold plate and the optical module shell is increased by 90%, and the contact thermal resistance is greatly reduced. At the same time, it completely avoids the insertion lag problem when the optical module is hot-swappable.
Precision structure advantage
One-time molding of complex special-shaped structures: Special-shaped copper plates with dense heat dissipation needles, chutes, buckles, and positioning grooves can be directly injected. Traditional CNC machining requires multiple clamping and multi-axis linkage, and some internal flow channels are even completely impossible to achieve. The MIM process can be completed with only a small amount of subsequent finishing.
Micron-level accuracy guarantees the stability of the optical signal: the dimensional tolerance is controlled within ± 0.1%, and the optical transceiver core positioning components such as the TOSA/ROSA base can be integrally formed to ensure the alignment accuracy of the optical axis, avoid the insertion loss of the optical signal caused by the assembly deviation, and adapt to the high-speed signal transmission requirements of 224G and above.
Ultra-thin thin wall forming ability: It can stably form ultra-thin heat dissipation shells with a wall thickness of less than 1mm. Traditional machined copper plates are prone to deformation and edge collapse at this thickness, and the yield of MIM parts can reach more than 98%. It is perfectly adapted to the compact interior space design of optical modules.
