Development of Thermal Management Systems for High Power, Wide Band Gap Radar

The MDA and the Army are investing in the development of high power, wide bandgap electronics (Gallium Nitride - GaN) with the objective of inserting this technology into phased array radars using a spiral development process. GaN is capable of producing very large DC power levels, and therefore very high heat fluxes and total heat load in each transmit receive (T/R) module. In Phase I, an analytical system study confirmed that conventional thermal management approaches are not capable of maintaining the peak junction temperature less than its limiting operating value of 150 0C. In the Phase I system study, a number of thermal management technologies were evaluated to quantify their impact on the peak junction temperature. The two technologies identified for Phase II development are micro-heat pipes (MHP) that would be integrated into the T/R module stack-up (used for heat spreading) and vapor chamber mounting plates. The VCP transports heat efficiently to the side rail coolant channels. A combined analytical and experimental PII program will develop and demonstrate these technologies at the component and then system levels, ultimately transitioning these technologies to a maturity for insertion into a system in the next 3-5 years.