MINIATURE CAPILLARY PUMPED HEAT TRANSFER COMPONENT

THE NATURAL GENERATION OF HEAT WITHIN SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES CAUSES SEVERAL PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGH OPERATING TEMPERATURES. THESE PROBLEMS INCLUDE POOR ELECTRICAL PERFORMANCE, INHOMOGENEOUS TEMPERATURE PROFILES, THERMAL DIFFUSION, AND THERMAL FATIGUE. THIS RESEARCH EFFORT WILL STUDY THE REDUCTION OF SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTION TEMPERATURES AND LOCALIZED TEMPERATURE BUILDUPS BY THE FABRICATION OF CAPILLARY TUBES IN THE SUBSTRATE NEAR THE JUNCTION. THE CAPILLARIES WILL CARRY A WORKING FLUID WHICH WILL EXPERIENCE A PHASE CHANGE UPON ABSORPTION OF HEAT IN THE VICINITY OF THE JUNCTION. THE RESULTING VAPOR WILL PASS TO A COLD REGION, WHERE IT WILL CONDENSE AND BE DRAWN INTO THE CAPILLARIES BY CAPILLARY ACTION. A COMPUTER MODEL WILL BE DEVELOPED TO PREDICT THE HEAT TRANSFER CAPABILITIES OF THE DEVICE AND TO POSTULATE AN OPTIMUM DESIGN. THIS OPTIMUM DESIGN WILL BE FABRICATED AND TESTED IN THE LABORATORY DURING PHASE I. HENCE, THE TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY, MANUFACTURABILITY AND COST EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS CONCEPTUAL APPROACH TO ELECTRONICS COOLING WILL BE DEVELOPED AS A RESULT OF PHASE I.