High Heat Flux Cold Plate for Cooling of Power Electronics

This Phase II SBIR project addresses the need for advanced thermal management technology for cooling solid-state power conversion devices on-board Navy ships. It is anticipated that the drive towards smaller electronic components and faster switching speeds will require a cooling technology that can dissipate in excess of 1,000 W/cm2 while maintaining junction temperatures below 125 C. In Phase I, we demonstrated heat removal at 1038 W/cm2 with an approach temperature difference of only 30 C in a system using Mikros Normal Flow Microchannel cold plate (NCP). The ability to use single-phase coolant eliminates the complications inherent in two-phase systems and allows the NCP to integrate readily with the hardware presently available for shipboard thermal management. Because of its very low thermal resistance, the NCP does not require a heat spreader. Hence, it is now possible to develop power electronics packaging technology in which the cold plate is tightly integrated with the die. During Phase II, we will develop the technology to attach the die to the NCP so as to minimize the thermal resistance and stresses on the die and interfaces. This technology will be demonstrated by fabricating and testing a prototype power module in the 1-10 MW power range.