Removing Heat from Next Generation Wireless Systems

Next generation wireless systems including imaging and communication links requires operation at higher frequencies to access additional bandwidth, typically with a phased array based transmit or transceiver antenna. These systems exhibit significant heat removal challenges due to the high heat flux density arising from their dense array construction and high power amplifiers. This challenge is distinct from that of cooling single transistors or single power amplifiers in isolation. It is imperative to provide effective cooling to the semiconductors in order to realize performance, long-term reliability, and size/weight advantages.  In this program MONDE will design, model, optimize, and implement a new thermal management architecture by co-designing a power amplifier, which is targeted for 5G systems, for both thermal and electrical performance. The channel temperature rise and RF performance will both be validated at the individual chip level and in a system-level thermal testbed to keep power amplifier channel temperature rise below 120°C to provide for long lifetime and simplify system-level cooling requirements.