Extreme heat flux cooling from functional copper inverse opal-coated manifold microchannels

Abstract

The utilization of a hierarchical microstructure and three-dimensional (3D) manifold for liquid delivery and liquid/vapor extraction could potentially improve the single-phase/two-phase thermal performance of microcoolers for high-heat-flux microelectronics applications exceeding 1 kW cm−2. In this work, we utilize a conformal coating of 8-μm-thick copper inverse opal (CuIO) films with ∼ 5-μm pore size on silicon microchannels in combination with a polydimethylsiloxane 3D manifold to remove heat fluxes up to 1147 W cm−2 under a water inlet temperature and flow rate of 20 °C and 200 g min−1, respectively. We achieved a convective thermal resistance of 0.068 cm2 K W−1 and total pressure drop of 32 kPa. Moreover, owing to copper micropores, a better hot-spot temperature uniformity (<6 K) with the aid of improved boiling nucleation was achieved. The interchip microchannel with a functional porous material and 3D manifold offers a disruptive thermal-management solution for high-performance electronic devices such as data centers, defense weapons, and power electronics for electric vehicles. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd