Nanowire Heat Pipes for Electronics Thermal Management

A nanostructured materials heat pipe technology is proposed. The high capillary pressure and moderate flow resistance predicted for the proposed nanowire wick material makes it ideally suited for high heat flux (> 300 W/cm2) applications. The nanowire wick is created using cost-effective chemical manufacturing techniques suitable for large-scale manufacture. The process will enable thin profile devices to be built that can be directly incorporated into electronic device packages, eliminating the thermal barrier presented by conventional packaging materials. The Phase I project will determine the suitability of nanowire heat pipe wicks for high heat flux applications by building copper nanowire arrays on copper substrates and testing the ability of the wick to remove heat fluxes up to 1000 W/cm2 using water as a working fluid. The Phase II project will construct complete heat pipe devices and demonstrate effective thermal management of power electronics systems. Successful demonstration of a nanowire wick heat pipe capable of removing high heat fluxes will enable effective thermal management of next generation of high power density microprocessors for portable applications, laser diode arrays in communications systems and power thryistors for power conditioning. The nanowire heat pipes are an enabling technology that can effectively remove heat from within the electronics package and enable system size to shrink while performance continues to increase.