Micro scale oscillating heat pipes for electronics cooling
Date
2025
DOI
Authors
Version
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
Effective thermal management is critical to the reliable operation and longevity of modern semiconductor devices. As transistor densities continue to increase with each successive generation of chips, power consumption rises, leading to escalating heat fluxes. Conventional cooling methods, such as air-cooled heat sinks or liquid cooling loops, are highly effective at dissipating heat. However, as devices continue to shrink, the need arises for thermal management solutions capable of efficiently transporting heat from densely packed electronic components to remote heat sinks to aid in heat dissipation. Consequently, the miniaturization of thermal management technologies has become increasingly important, enabling the development of solutions that can be seamlessly integrated with densely packed semiconductor devices to facilitate efficient heat transport and maintain performance at smaller scales.Oscillating heat pipes (OHPs) have emerged as a promising candidate for high-performance thermal management due to their passive operation, high thermal conductivity, and capacity to handle large heat fluxes. Miniaturizing OHPs to the microscale offers the potential to improve heat dissipation in semiconductor devices by enabling efficient heat transport over extended lengths, despite having micro-scale cross-sections. This capability is particularly advantageous for extracting heat from compact electronic systems and delivering it to remote cooling units. However, achieving reliable performance in micro-scale oscillating heat pipes (MOHPs) presents unique challenges related to fluid behavior, capillary limits, and dry-out conditions.
This work investigates several design enhancements aimed at improving the performance and operational stability of MOHPs. Three specific approaches are examined: (1) the implementation of alternating hydraulic diameters to promote improved fluid circulation compared to uniform channels; (2) the integration of reentrant mushroom-shaped structures designed to mitigate liquid flooding and serve as persistent nucleation sites for vapor formation; and (3) the incorporation of micro-grooved wick structures within the channels to increase capillary flow capacity and delay the onset of dry-out. These design modifications aim to address key limitations in micro-scale OHPs and enhance their viability as a next-generation cooling solution for high-power semiconductor devices.
Description
2025