Improvements in performance of two-phase cooling systems

Abstract

The invention discloses improvements in performance of a two-phase cooling system. Cooling provided by the thermal management system may be actively controlled to reduce or prevent entry into a dry-up state. Systems and methods described herein include monitoring temperature metrics and identifying or predicting the onset of a dry-up state, and a temperature modulation mechanism may be controlled to cause an increase in temperature within a heat pipe or steam chamber. By controlling the temperature modulation mechanism to increase the operating temperature, the viscosity of the liquid in the thermal management mode is reduced, which improves capillary flow and reflux rate back to the evaporator. By leveraging the temperature-related behavior, the thermal control regime may restore cooling capability by managing thermal management regime temperatures caused by a dry-up state, and reduce or minimize computing device performance degradation associated with the dry-up state.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Computing devices can use various devices to cool electronic components. Two-phase cooling devices can be used to cool electronic components, such as heat pipes or vapor chambers. These two-phase cooling devices may include an evaporator side placed next to a heat source, which can use a phase change from liquid to vapor to remove heat from the heat source. The two-phase cooling device also includes a condensation side, where the vapor is converted back into a liquid. Because these devices rely on this phase change of the liquid and on the capillary limit of the internal structure (e.g., liquid pipe), these two-phase cooling devices can enter a "dry out" state, in which the evaporation rate exceeds the fluid return rate, thereby reducing thermal performance. The dry state can result in increased thermal resistance and higher junction temperature, which can throttle the performance of various electronic components. To avoid the dry state, electronic equipment manufacturers usually increase the size of these two-phase cooling devices, however, this increases cost and thickness. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0002] In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numbers may describe similar components in different views. Like numbers with different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. In general, the drawings illustrate various embodiments discussed in this document by way of example and not by way of limitation.

[0003] Figure 1 is a graph of an example two-phase thermal system according to an embodiment.

[0004] Figure 2 The figure shows a flow chart of a heat control method according to an embodiment.

[0005] Figure 3 The figure shows a thermal resistance graph according to an embodiment.

[0006] Figure 4 The figure shows a two-phase cooling system according to an embodiment.

[0007] Figure 5 A set of thermal control environment metric graphs are shown according to an embodiment.

[0008] Figure 6 A set of thermal control performance graphs according to an embodiment are shown.

[0009] Figure 7 is an example of a method for network function execution according to an embodiment.

[0010] Figure 8 The diagram illustrates a block diagram of an example machine upon which any one or more of the techniques discussed herein may be performed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] In the following description, the cooling provided by the thermal management method can be actively controlled to reduce or prevent entering a dry state. The thermal management method described herein includes monitoring temperature metrics (e.g., thermal resistance, temperature slope change) and identifying or predicting the onset of a dry state. Once the onset of a dry state is identified or predicted, a temperature modulation mechanism (e.g., a cooling fan) can be controlled to cause an increase in the temperature of a heat pipe or steam chamber within the thermal management method. In an example, the temperature modulation mechanism includes a cooling fan, and the temperature increase is caused by reducing the fan speed or reducing the fan power input.

[0012] These methods can be used to improve the performance of computing devices. By controlling the temperature modulation mechanism to increase the operating temperature, the viscosity of the liquid in the thermal management method is reduced, which improves capillary flow and the return flow rate back to the evaporator. By taking advantage of this temperature-dependent behavior, these thermal management methods can restore cooling capacity by managing the thermal management method temperature caused by the dry state and reduce or minimize the computing device performance degradation associated with the dry state.

[0013] Figure 1 is an example graph 100 of an example two-phase thermal system according to an embodiment. Graph 100 provides a graphical visualization of thermal management techniques for preventing or mitigating heat pipe dry-out events. The present subject matter centers on implementing a reactive thermal control approach that detects the onset of dry-out in a thermal management approach and, in response to the detection, triggers one or more thermal management responses to reduce or minimize performance degradation.

[0014] Graph 100 shows a two-phase cooling device temperature 110, a processor device 120, and a device power 130 as a function of time. Device power 130 may reflect the power consumption of a chip package, such as a system-on-a-chip (SOC) including one or more processors. Processor temperature 120 may reflect the temperature of one or more processors on the chip package. In various examples, one or more processors may include a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a dedicated x-processing unit (xPU), also known as a data processing unit (DPU), an infrastructure processing unit (IPU), or a network processing unit (NPU).

[0015] At a first time 115, the device power 130 may be operating at a relatively steady state power level, and the two-phase cooling device temperature 110 and the processor temperature 120 may be maintained at relatively stable temperatures. At a second time 125, the device power 130 may be significantly increased, such as in response to a requested computing task. At the second time 125, the two-phase cooling device temperature 110 and the processor temperature 120 may both increase. In an example, in response to the increase in these temperatures, a cooling fan associated with the two-phase cooling device may begin to operate at an increased speed to provide increased cooling.

[0016] The first stage of the thermal management method involves predicting or detecting the beginning of the thermal management method entering a dry state. The prediction or detection of the dry state can be accomplished by various methods, such as by monitoring temperature data provided by a temperature sensor. The temperature sensor may include a temperature sensor associated with a two-phase cooling device, a temperature sensor associated with a processor, or other temperature sensors. In an example, the temperature sensor may be positioned to detect the temperature of a device to be cooled by a two-phase cooling device (e.g., a processor, a SOC including a processor), such as at an interface between a processor and an integrated heat spreader (IHS) or a thermal interface material (TIM), which conducts heat from the processor to the two-phase cooling device.

[0017] One or more of these temperature sensors may be used to predict or detect the onset of the two-phase cooling device entering a dry state. The prediction or detection may be based on monitoring thermal resistance and identifying temperature increases, tracking changes in the slope of the two-phase cooling device temperature 110, or comparing the two-phase cooling device temperature 110 to a known baseline behavior when dry-out is not present.

[0018] Once the onset of a dry-out condition has been detected, such as at or before the third time 135, the thermal control mode initiates a thermal control response to reduce or minimize the effects of the dry-out on system performance. The thermal control response may include reducing a fan speed or temporarily disabling a fan. Although reducing or disabling a fan may generally be associated with reduced cooling, such a thermal control response may reduce the viscosity of the fluid within the two-phase cooling device, thereby improving fluid flow and the return rate of the fluid returning to the evaporator. The thermal control mode may include other actions to reduce or minimize the effects of the dry-out, such as reducing or minimizing the effects of the dry-out by triggering a reduction in power input to the two-phase cooling device. As shown at the third time 135, this may cause the two-phase cooling device temperature 110 to increase further. However, as shown at the processor temperature point 145, the processor temperature 120 may decrease as a result of the improved cooling provided by the improved fluid flow within the two-phase cooling device. Reference Figure 2 A flow chart illustrating the operation of this thermal control scheme is shown and described.

[0019] Figure 2 The figure shows a flow chart 200 of a thermal control method according to an embodiment. After starting the electronic device 210 (e.g., providing power to the motherboard, providing power to the SOC), the system can receive sensor data 220 to predict or determine the dry state. These sensor data sets may include: junction temperature (Tj), power provided to the processor, and thermal management device temperature T TSIn an example, a data set associated with Tj and power may be obtained from existing software, from raw numerical temperature sensor data, or from lower level programming logic or a lower level instruction set (eg, assembly language, machine code). TS The measurements may be made directly, estimated via a virtual sensor, predicted using an exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) of power and baseline temperature points, or estimated or predicted using statistical techniques, artificial intelligence techniques, or other numerical estimation or prediction techniques.

[0020] These data sets can be used to predict or determine a dry-out condition 230. This determination can be based on monitoring the thermal resistance (psi j-hp ). This may include finding Tj and T TS and then divided by the power input: Monitor thermal resistance psi j-hp Allows for example psi based adjustments when liquid replenishment in the evaporator becomes insufficient j-hp The value of the characteristic is increased to determine the dry-up 230. Figure 3 This insufficient liquid replenishment at the evaporator is shown and described.

[0021] In addition to monitoring thermal resistance, various other data sets or calculations may be used to predict or determine a dry-out condition 230. Additional techniques may include those involving analyzing Tj slope changes, comparing Tj or slope values ​​to a baseline curve for normal operation, applying various statistical metrics, or other analysis.

[0022] If the dry condition 240 is not detected, the flowchart 200 may return to receiving sensor data 220. If the dry condition 240 is detected, the flowchart 200 may continue to applying a thermal reaction mechanism 250. The thermal reaction mechanism 250 may include controlling fan speed, controlling fan power, controlling processor power limits, or performing other controls to increase the temperature of the two-phase cooling device.

[0023] After applying the thermal response mechanism 250, the system can be analyzed to determine whether it has recovered from the dry-out event 260. If the system has not recovered from the dry-out event, the thermal response mechanism 250 can continue to be applied or can be adjusted to increase the thermal response. If the system recovers from the dry-out event, the thermal control mode allows a return to a steady state level and the system can return to receiving sensor data 220.

[0024] Figure 3 The figure shows a thermal resistance graph 300 according to an embodiment. The thermal resistance graph 300 shows the thermal resistance psi as a function of time. j-hp, for a time period with a lower fan speed and a non-dry state 310, compared to a time period with a higher fan speed and a dry state 320. During the non-dry state 310, the non-dry thermal resistance 315 generally remains around 0.7°C / W, and generally remains below 0.8°C / W. In contrast, during the dry state 320, there is a dramatic increase in thermal resistance, with the dry thermal resistance 325 more than doubling to over 1.6°C / W.

[0025] These thermal resistance values ​​can be used to predict or determine the onset of a dry-out condition for a two-phase cooling device. In an example, analysis of the slope of the thermal resistance can be used to predict a significant increase in thermal resistance and predict the onset of a dry-out condition, such as by identifying a sharp increase in the slope of the dry-out thermal resistance 325. In an example, a steady state threshold or threshold range can be identified in the non-dry-out thermal resistance 315, and values ​​exceeding the threshold or threshold range can be used to predict or identify the onset of dry-out. Various statistical techniques, such as moving window averages or statistical outlier rejection, can be used in the data analysis to avoid false triggers due to outlier data points, such as the spike shown on the non-dry-out thermal resistance 315.

[0026] Figure 4 A two-phase cooling system 400 according to an embodiment is shown. The two-phase cooling system 400 includes a printed circuit board (PCB) 410 and a two-phase cooling device 420 positioned above a processor (not shown) mounted on the PCB 410. A heat pipe 430 couples the two-phase cooling device 420 to a heat exchanger and a fan 440, wherein the speed of the fan 440 can be adjusted using a variable power supply or other fan speed control.

[0027] The two-phase cooling device may include a heating device, or the heating device may be positioned on the two-phase cooling device 420 or the PCB 410 to provide heating to the two-phase cooling device 420. The heating device may include at least one of a resistive heater, a ceramic heater, a Kapton heater, a cartridge heater, a printed circuit board heater, an induction heater, a thermoelectric cooler, or other heating devices. Resistive wire elements may be used to generate controlled heat. Ceramic and Kapton foil heaters may provide local and rapid heating in a small area. Flexible silicone rubber heaters may be used to provide uniform heating on large or irregular component surfaces. Replaceable cartridge heaters and PCB heaters may be used to provide heating based on specific geometric patterns, such as providing heating around the periphery of the two-phase cooling device 420. Induction heaters may be used to directly generate precise heat in metal components through electromagnetic fields.

[0028] Although commonly used for cooling applications, thermoelectric coolers (TECs) can also be used to provide precision heating for the two-phase cooling device 420. The heating can be applied by reversing the polarity of the direct current (DC) current applied to the TEC. Reversing the polarity causes the TEC to transfer heat from the radiator side to the component side in the opposite direction, as opposed to the TEC pumping heat from the component side to the radiator side, and the component side absorbs heat from the TEC. In this configuration, a radiator, fan 440, or other cooling mechanism can dissipate the heat. A temperature sensor controller can be used to adjust the amount of heating provided by the TEC to provide selective and controllable heating of the two-phase cooling device 420.

[0029] To predict or determine the onset of a dry-out condition, one or more types of temperature sensors may be positioned on the PCB 410 or near the two-phase cooling device 420 to monitor temperature values ​​and generate a temperature data set. On-die integrated circuit sensors may be used to provide direct internal chip temperature measurements, such as measuring the temperature of various integrated circuits on the PCB 410. Resistive thermistors may be placed on processors (e.g., CPUs, graphical processing units (GPUs)), such as on processors below the two-phase cooling device 420, to monitor local temperature based on changes in resistance. Thermocouples made of dissimilar metals generate a voltage proportional to the temperature difference and may be used to monitor hot spots of the processor on the PCB 410. Infrared thermal imaging may be used to measure the surface temperature of various components of the two-phase cooling system 400. Thermistor or thermocouple probes may monitor the intake air temperature within a housing containing the two-phase cooling system 400.

[0030] Figure 5 A set of thermal control environment metric graphs 500 are shown according to an embodiment. Graphs 500 show power, temperature, and thermal resistance for each of three use cases: Use Case 1 510 shows baseline or control performance, Use Case 2 520 shows a dry state without thermal control applied, and Use Case 3 530 shows a dry state with thermal control applied. The three use cases are summarized in Table 1 below: Table 1. Example configuration demonstrating thermal control methods

[0031] Use case 1 510 includes a baseline use case for 24W CPU power, which represents a use case with a relatively constant fan speed and a non-dry state (e.g., the evaporation rate in the two-phase cooling device does not exceed the fluid return rate). By avoiding the dry state in use case 1 510, the two-phase cooling device is able to provide adequate cooling for the processor, although lower performance can still be expected from use case 1 510 due to the relatively lower power consumption. However, use case 1 510 provides a reference for the resistance of the thermal management device and provides a good baseline for comparison with other example configurations in use cases 2 520 and 3 530. Use case 1 510 may represent a use case in which an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or original design manufacturer (ODM) does not push the platform boundaries, but instead sets the processing or power consumption limits of the platform at a lower value to prevent dry out, at the expense of significantly reduced performance.

[0032] Use case 2 520 includes a dry condition but no thermal control scheme is applied. Use case 2 520 includes a CPU power of 32W and the fan speed is controlled to maintain a constant and equal fan speed to that in use case 1 510. Use case 3 530 also includes a CPU power of 32W, however, fan control is used to modify the cooling of the two-phase cooling device. In use case 3 530, when a dry condition is detected, the fan power supply unit (PSU) is stopped in a fan off event 540 and turned back on ten seconds later in a fan on event 550. In response to the fan off event 540, there is a reduction in thermal resistance 560, which causes the thermal resistance value in use case 3 530 to approach the thermal resistance value in use case 1 510. By providing this reduced thermal resistance, the thermal control scheme can be used to provide improved two-phase cooling device performance while providing improved processor performance. Reference Figure 6 Examples of this improved performance are shown and described.

[0033] Figure 6A set of thermal control performance graphs 600 according to an embodiment are shown. Graph 600 shows maximum frequency averages 615 and workload benchmark score averages 625 for use case 1 610, use case 2 620, and use case 3 630. As shown in use case 3 630, when the thermal control approach is applied, there is an average frequency increase of 129 MHz, which represents an improvement of more than one 100 MHz bin relative to use case 2 620. In addition, the thermal control approach in use case 3 630 produces a 4.4% improvement in workload benchmark score average 625 compared to the unmitigated dry-out test in use case 1 610. The performance advantage shown in use case 3 630 presents a significant performance advantage provided by responding to dry-out events in real time to maintain proper thermal control. By utilizing short-term fan speed changes, the present technology can offset the fluid flow defects associated with dry-out and allow the processor to maintain a higher maximum frequency average 615 and a higher workload benchmark average 625.

[0034] Figure 7 is an example of a method 700 for network function execution according to an embodiment. The operations of the method 700 are implemented in computing hardware, such as the computing hardware described above. Figure 1-Figure 6 The computing hardware described in or below Figure 8 The method 700 includes determining 710, by a processing unit, a device temperature associated with a two-phase heat sink device that is thermally connected to an integrated circuit device. The method 700 further includes determining 720, by the processing unit, that the two-phase heat sink device is in a dry state based on the device temperature. In response to detecting that the two-phase heat sink device is in a dry state, the method 700 further includes causing 730, by the processing unit, an increase in the device temperature within the two-phase heat sink device to improve cooling performance of the two-phase heat sink device.

[0035] In an example, a two-phase heat sink device includes a fluid. Increasing a device temperature of the fluid can reduce a viscosity associated with the fluid. Additionally, reducing the fluid viscosity can improve the ability of the two-phase heat sink device to cool an integrated circuit device.

[0036] The method 700 may further include causing 740 a thermal modulation mechanism to increase a device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device. The thermal modulation mechanism may include a cooling fan, and the processing unit reduces at least one of a fan speed or a fan duty cycle to cause an increase in device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device. The integrated circuit device may include a processor, and the thermal modulation mechanism may include power control logic configured to reduce power provided to the processor. The thermal modulation mechanism may include a heating device associated with the two-phase heat dissipation device, and the method 700 may further include instructing 750, by the processing unit, the heating device to cause an increase in device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device. The heating device may include at least one of a thermoelectric cooler, a resistive heater, a ceramic heater, a Kapton heater, a cartridge heater, a printed circuit board heater, or an induction heater.

[0037] The method 700 may further include generating 760 a device temperature data set associated with the two-phase heat sink device, and determining a device temperature based on the device temperature data set. The device temperature data set may be generated by a heat sink device temperature sensor. The method 700 may further include generating 770 a component temperature data set associated with a system component outside the two-phase heat sink device, and determining the device temperature based on the component temperature data set. The component temperature data set may be generated 770 by a component temperature sensor. The component temperature sensor may be integrated into an integrated circuit device. The method 700 may further include determining 780 that the two-phase heat sink device is no longer experiencing a dry state, and allowing a device temperature within the two-phase heat sink device to return to a steady state temperature.

[0038] Figure 8The diagram shows a block diagram of an example machine 800 on which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methods) discussed herein can be performed. The machine 800 can be used to perform the operations described herein or control industrial manufacturing equipment to perform the operations described herein. The examples described herein may include logic or several components or mechanisms in the machine 800, or may be operated by logic or several components or mechanisms in the machine 800. A circuit system (e.g., a processing circuit system) is a collection of circuits including hardware (e.g., simple circuits, gates, logic, etc.) implemented in a tangible entity of the machine 800. The circuit system membership may be flexible over time. The circuit system includes members that can perform specified operations individually or in combination when operating. In an example, the hardware of the circuit system may be designed to perform specific operations (e.g., hardwired) in an unchangeable manner. In an example, the hardware of the circuit system may include physical components (e.g., execution units, transistors, simple circuits, etc.) that are variably connected, including machine-readable media that are physically modified (e.g., magnetic, electrical, removable arrangements of invariant aggregate particles, etc.) to encode instructions for specific operations. When the physical components are connected, the underlying electrical properties of the hardware components change, such as from an insulator to a conductor, or vice versa. These instructions enable embedded hardware (e.g., an execution unit or a loading mechanism) to create members of a circuit system in hardware via variable connections to perform parts of a specific operation when in operation. Accordingly, in an example, the machine-readable medium element is part of the circuit system, or is communicatively coupled to other components of the circuit system when the device is operating. In an example, any of the physical components may be used in more than one member of more than one circuit system. For example, under operation, an execution unit may be used in a first circuit in a first circuit system at one time, and reused by a second circuit in the first circuit system or reused by a third circuit in the second circuit system at a different time. The following are additional examples of these components of the machine 800.

[0039] In alternative embodiments, the machine 800 may operate as a stand-alone device, or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine 800 may operate as a server machine, a client machine, or both in a server-client network environment. In an example, the machine 800 may act as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment. The machine 800 may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a web device, a network router, a switch or a bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions (sequential or otherwise) specifying actions to be taken by the machine. Further, although only a single machine is illustrated, the term "machine" should also be considered to include any collection of machines that execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions individually or jointly to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein, such as cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS), and other computer cluster configurations.

[0040] The machine (e.g., computer system) 800 may include a hardware processor 802 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 804, a static memory (e.g., memory or storage for firmware, microcode, basic-input-output (BIOS), unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI), etc.) 806, and a mass storage device 808 (e.g., a hard drive, a tape drive, a flash storage device, or other block device), some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interconnection link (e.g., a bus) 830. The machine 800 may further include a display unit 810, an alphanumeric input device 812 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 814 (e.g., a mouse). In an example, the display unit 810, the input device 812, and the UI navigation device 814 may be a touch screen display. The machine 800 may additionally include a storage device (e.g., a drive unit) 808, a signal generating device 818 (e.g., a speaker), a network interface device 820, and one or more sensors 816 (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, a compass, an accelerometer, or another sensor). The machine 800 may include an output controller 828 for connecting or controlling one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, a card reader, etc.), such as a serial (e.g., universal serial bus (USB)), parallel, or other wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connection.

[0041] The registers of the processor 802, main memory 804, static memory 806, or mass storage 808 may be or may include a machine-readable medium 822 on which are stored one or more sets of data structures or instructions 824 (e.g., software) that embody or are utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functions described herein. The instructions 824 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within any of the registers of the processor 802, main memory 804, static memory 806, or mass storage 808 during execution thereof by the machine 800. In an example, one or any combination of the hardware processor 802, main memory 804, static memory 806, or mass storage 808 may constitute the machine-readable medium 822. Although the machine-readable medium 822 is illustrated as a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” may include a single medium or multiple media (eg, a centralized or distributed database, and / or associated caches and servers) configured to store one or more instructions 824 .

[0042] The term "machine-readable medium" may include any medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by the machine 800 and causing the machine 800 to perform any one or more of the techniques of the present disclosure, or capable of storing, encoding, or carrying data structures used by or associated with such instructions. Non-limiting machine-readable medium examples may include solid-state memory, optical media, magnetic media, and signals (e.g., radio frequency signals, other photon-based signals, sound signals, etc.). In an example, a non-transitory machine-readable medium includes a machine-readable medium having a plurality of particles that have a constant (e.g., stationary) mass and are therefore a composition of matter. Accordingly, a non-transitory machine-readable medium is a machine-readable medium that does not include a transient propagating signal. Specific examples of non-transitory machine-readable media may include: nonvolatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

[0043] The instructions 824 may be further transmitted or received via the network interface device 820 using a transmission medium through a communication network 826 using any of a variety of transmission protocols (e.g., frame relay, internet protocol (IP), transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), etc.). Example communication networks may include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a packet data network (e.g., the Internet), a mobile phone network (e.g., a cellular network), a Plain Old Telephone (POTS) network, and a wireless data network (e.g., a wireless network called The network interface device 820 may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet jacks, coaxial jacks, or telephone jacks) or one or more antennas for connecting to the communication network 826. In an example, the network interface device 820 may include multiple antennas that communicate wirelessly using at least one of single-input multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), or multiple-input single-output (MISO) technologies. The term "transmission medium" should be deemed to include any intangible medium that can store, encode, or carry instructions for execution by the machine 800, and "transmission medium" includes digital or analog communication signals or other intangible media for facilitating the communication of such software. The transmission medium is a machine-readable medium.

[0044] Example 1 is an apparatus comprising: a two-phase heat dissipation device, the two-phase heat dissipation device being thermally connected to an integrated circuit device; and a processing unit, the processing unit being configured to: determine a device temperature associated with the two-phase heat dissipation device; determine that the two-phase heat dissipation device is in a dry state based on the device temperature; and cause an increase in the device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device when it is detected that the two-phase heat dissipation device is in a dry state.

[0045] In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1 includes: wherein the two-phase heat sink device includes a fluid; increasing the device temperature of the fluid causes a decrease in viscosity associated with the fluid; and reducing the viscosity associated with the fluid causes an improvement in the ability of the two-phase heat sink device to cool the integrated circuit device.

[0046] In Example 3, the subject matter of Examples 1-2 includes: the apparatus further comprising a thermal modulation device for increasing a device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

[0047] In Example 4, the subject matter of Example 3 includes: wherein the thermal modulation device includes a cooling fan; and the processing unit is configured to reduce at least one of a fan speed or a fan duty cycle to cause an increase in device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

[0048] In Example 5, the subject matter of Examples 3-4 includes: wherein the integrated circuit device includes a processor; and the thermal modulation device includes power control logic configured to reduce power provided to the processor.

[0049] In Example 6, the subject matter of Examples 3-5 includes: wherein the heat modulation device includes a heating device; and the processing unit is configured to cause the heating device to cause an increase in a device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

[0050] In Example 7, the subject matter of Example 6 includes: wherein the heating device includes at least one of a resistive heater, a ceramic heater, a Kapton heater, a cartridge heater, a printed circuit board heater, or an induction heater.

[0051] In Example 8, the subject matter of Examples 3-7 includes: wherein the heat modulation device includes a thermoelectric cooler; and the processing unit is configured to cause the thermoelectric cooler to cause an increase in device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

[0052] In Example 9, the subject matter of Examples 1-8 includes: the apparatus further comprising a heat sink device temperature sensor configured to generate device temperature data associated with the two-phase heat sink; wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine the device temperature based on the device temperature data.

[0053] In Example 10, the subject matter of Example 9 includes: the apparatus further includes a component temperature sensor configured to generate component temperature data associated with a system component other than the two-phase heat dissipation device; wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine the device temperature based on the component temperature data.

[0054] In Example 11, the subject matter of Example 10 includes: wherein the component temperature sensor is integrated into an integrated circuit device.

[0055] In Example 12, the subject matter of Examples 1-11 includes: wherein the processing unit is further configured to: determine that the two-phase heat dissipation device is no longer experiencing a dry state; and return a device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device to a steady state temperature.

[0056] Example 13 is a method comprising: determining, by a processing unit, a device temperature associated with a two-phase heat dissipation device, the two-phase heat dissipation device being thermally connected to an integrated circuit device; determining, by the processing unit, that the two-phase heat dissipation device is in a dry state based on the device temperature; and causing, by the processing unit, an increase in the device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device in response to detecting that the two-phase heat dissipation device is in the dry state.

[0057] In Example 14, the subject matter of Example 13 includes: wherein the two-phase heat sink device includes a fluid; increasing a device temperature of the fluid causes a decrease in viscosity associated with the fluid; and reducing the viscosity associated with the fluid causes an improvement in the ability of the two-phase heat sink device to cool an integrated circuit device.

[0058] In Example 15, the subject matter of Examples 13-14 includes causing the thermal modulation device to increase a device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

[0059] In Example 16, the subject matter of Example 15 includes: wherein the thermal modulation device includes a cooling fan, and the method further includes reducing at least one of a fan speed or a fan duty cycle to cause an increase in device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

[0060] In Example 17, the subject matter of Examples 15-16 includes: wherein the integrated circuit device includes a processor; and the thermal modulation device includes power control logic configured to reduce power provided to the processor.

[0061] In Example 18, the subject matter of Examples 15-17 includes wherein the heat modulation device includes a heating device, and the method further includes instructing the heating device to cause an increase in device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

[0062] In Example 19, the subject matter of Example 18 includes: wherein the heating device includes at least one of a resistive heater, a ceramic heater, a Kapton heater, a cartridge heater, a printed circuit board heater, or an induction heater.

[0063] In Example 20, the subject matter of Examples 15-19 includes wherein the heat modulation device includes a thermoelectric cooler, and the method further includes instructing the thermoelectric cooler to cause an increase in device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

[0064] In Example 21, the subject matter of Examples 13-20 includes: generating, by a heat sink device temperature sensor, device temperature data associated with the two-phase heat sink device; and determining, by a processing unit, a device temperature based on the device temperature data.

[0065] In Example 22, the subject matter of Example 21 includes: generating, by a component temperature sensor, component temperature data associated with a system component other than the two-phase heat dissipation device; and determining, by a processing unit, a device temperature based on the component temperature data.

[0066] In Example 23, the subject matter of Example 22 includes: wherein the component temperature sensor is integrated into an integrated circuit device.

[0067] In Example 24, the subject matter of Examples 13-23 includes: determining, by the processing unit, that the two-phase heat dissipation device is no longer experiencing a dry-up state; and returning, by the processing unit, a device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device to a steady-state temperature.

[0068] Example 25 is a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processing unit, cause the processing unit to: determine, by the processing unit, a device temperature associated with a two-phase heat dissipation device that is thermally connected to an integrated circuit device; determine, by the processing unit, that the two-phase heat dissipation device is in a dry state based on the device temperature; and in response to detecting that the two-phase heat dissipation device is in a dry state, by the processing unit, cause an increase in the device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

[0069] In Example 26, the subject matter of Example 25 includes: wherein the two-phase heat sink device includes a fluid; increasing the device temperature of the fluid causes a decrease in viscosity associated with the fluid; and reducing the viscosity associated with the fluid causes an improvement in the ability of the two-phase heat sink device to cool the integrated circuit device.

[0070] In Example 27, the subject matter of Examples 25-26 includes the instructions further causing the processing unit to cause the thermal modulation device to increase a device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

[0071] In Example 28, the subject matter of Example 27 includes: wherein the thermal modulation device includes a cooling fan; and the processing unit reduces at least one of a fan speed or a fan duty cycle to cause an increase in device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

[0072] In Example 29, the subject matter of Examples 27-28 includes: wherein the integrated circuit device includes a processor; and the thermal modulation device includes power control logic configured to reduce power provided to the processor.

[0073] In Example 30, the subject matter of Examples 27-29 includes: wherein the heat modulation device includes a heating device; and the instructions further cause the processing device to instruct the heating device to cause an increase in device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

[0074] In Example 31, the subject matter of Example 30 includes: wherein the heating device includes at least one of a resistive heater, a ceramic heater, a Kapton heater, a cartridge heater, a printed circuit board heater, or an induction heater.

[0075] In Example 32, the subject matter of Examples 27-31 includes wherein the heat modulation device includes a thermoelectric cooler, and the instructions further cause the processing unit to instruct the thermoelectric cooler to cause an increase in device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

[0076] In Example 33, the subject matter of Examples 25-32 includes: the instructions further causing the processing unit to: generate, by the heat sink device temperature sensor, device temperature data associated with the two-phase heat sink device; and determine, by the processing unit, the device temperature based on the device temperature data.

[0077] In Example 34, the subject matter of Example 33 includes: the instructions further cause the processing unit to: generate, by a component temperature sensor, component temperature data associated with a system component other than the two-phase heat dissipation device; and determine, by the processing unit, a device temperature based on the component temperature data.

[0078] In Example 35, the subject matter of Example 34 includes: wherein the component temperature sensor is integrated into an integrated circuit device.

[0079] In Example 36, the subject matter of Examples 25-35 includes: the instructions further cause the processing unit to: determine, by the processing unit, that the two-phase heat dissipation device is no longer experiencing a dry state; and return, by the processing unit, a device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device to a steady state temperature.

[0080] Example 37 is a device comprising: a device for determining a device temperature associated with a two-phase heat dissipation device, the two-phase heat dissipation device being thermally connected to an integrated circuit device; a device for determining that the two-phase heat dissipation device is in a dry state based on the device temperature; and a device for causing an increase in the device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device in response to detecting that the two-phase heat dissipation device is in a dry state.

[0081] In Example 38, the subject matter of Example 37 includes: wherein the two-phase heat dissipation device includes a fluid; the device for increasing the device temperature of the fluid causes a decrease in viscosity associated with the fluid; and the device for reducing the viscosity associated with the fluid causes an improvement in the ability of the two-phase heat dissipation device to cool the integrated circuit device.

[0082] In Example 39, the subject matter of Examples 37-38 includes means for causing a thermal conditioning device to increase a device temperature within a two-phase heat dissipation device.

[0083] In Example 40, the subject matter of Example 39 includes: wherein the thermal modulation device includes a cooling fan; and means for reducing at least one of a fan speed or a fan duty cycle to cause an increase in device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

[0084] In Example 41, the subject matter of Examples 39-40 includes: wherein the integrated circuit device includes a processor; and the thermal modulation device includes means for reducing power provided to the processor.

[0085] In Example 42, the subject matter of Examples 39-41 includes wherein the heat modulation device includes a heating device, and the device further includes means for instructing the heating device to cause an increase in device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

[0086] In Example 43, the subject matter of Example 42 includes: wherein the heating device includes at least one of a resistive heater, a ceramic heater, a Kapton heater, a cartridge heater, a printed circuit board heater, or an induction heater.

[0087] In Example 44, the subject matter of Examples 39-43 includes: wherein the heat modulation device includes a thermoelectric cooler, and the device further includes means for instructing the thermoelectric cooler to cause an increase in device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

[0088] In Example 45, the subject matter of Examples 37-44 includes: means for generating device temperature data associated with the two-phase heat dissipation device; and means for determining a device temperature based on the device temperature data.

[0089] In Example 46, the subject matter of Example 45 includes: means for generating component temperature data associated with a system component other than the two-phase heat dissipation device; and means for determining a device temperature based on the component temperature data.

[0090] In Example 47, the subject matter of Example 46 includes: wherein the component temperature sensor is integrated into an integrated circuit device.

[0091] In Example 48, the subject matter of Examples 37-47 includes: means for determining that the two-phase heat dissipation device is no longer experiencing a dry-up condition; and means for returning a device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device to a steady state temperature.

[0092] Example 49 is at least one machine-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform operations to implement any of Examples 1-48.

[0093] Example 50 is an apparatus comprising means for implementing any of Examples 1-48.

[0094] Example 51 is a system for implementing any of Examples 1-48.

[0095] Example 52 is a method for implementing any of Examples 1-48.

[0096] The above detailed description includes references to the attached drawings, which form part of the detailed description. The drawings illustrate specific embodiments that can be implemented by way of illustration. These embodiments are also referred to as "examples" in this article. Such examples may include elements other than those shown or described. However, the inventors of the present application also contemplate examples in which only those elements shown or described are provided. In addition, the inventors of the present application also contemplate examples of any combination or arrangement of those elements shown or described (or one or more aspects thereof) relative to the specific examples shown or described herein (or one or more aspects thereof) or relative to other examples shown or described herein (or one or more aspects thereof).

[0097] All publications, patents, and patent documents referred to in this document are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, as if individually incorporated by reference. In the event of inconsistent usages between this document and those documents incorporated by reference, the usage in the incorporated reference(s) should be considered supplementary to that of this document; for irreconcilable inconsistencies, the usage in this document controls.

[0098] In this document, as is common in patent documents, the terms "a" or "an" are used to include one or more than one, independent of any other instance or usage of "at least one" or "one or more". In this document, unless otherwise indicated, the term "or" is used to refer to a non-exclusive or, such that "A or B" includes "A but not B", "B but not A", and "A and B". In the appended claims, the terms "including" and "in which" are used as the plain English equivalents of the respective terms "comprising" and "wherein". In addition, in the appended claims, the terms "including" and "comprising" are open-ended, that is, a system, device, article, or process that includes elements in a claim other than those listed after such terms is still deemed to fall within the scope of that claim. In addition, in the appended claims, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are used merely as labels and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects.

[0099] The above description is intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive. For example, the examples described above (or one or more aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. Other embodiments may be used by a person of ordinary skill in the art after carefully reading the above description. The abstract is used to allow the reader to quickly confirm the nature of the present technology disclosure, and it is submitted with the understanding that it is not used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Moreover, in the above specific embodiments, various features may be grouped together to simplify the present disclosure. However, this should not be interpreted as meaning that the disclosed features that are not claimed for protection are necessary for any claim. On the contrary, the inventive subject matter may be less than all the features of a specific disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the attached claims are thus incorporated into the specific embodiments, wherein each claim independently becomes a separate embodiment. The scope of each embodiment should be determined with reference to the attached claims together with the full scope of equivalent schemes assigned to these claims.

Claims

1. A device, comprising: a two-phase heat sink device thermally connected to the integrated circuit device; as well as A processing unit configured to: determining a device temperature associated with the two-phase heat sink; determining, based on the device temperature, that the two-phase heat dissipation device is in a dry state; as well as When it is detected that the two-phase heat dissipation device is in the dry state, an increase in the device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device is caused.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two-phase heat dissipation device includes a fluid; increasing a device temperature of the fluid causing a decrease in viscosity associated with the fluid; and Reducing the viscosity associated with the fluid results in an improvement in the ability of the two-phase heat sink device to cool the integrated circuit device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a thermal modulation device for increasing the device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

4. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The heat modulation device includes a cooling fan; and The processing unit is configured to reduce at least one of a fan speed or a fan duty cycle to cause an increase in the device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

5. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The integrated circuit device includes a processor; and The thermal modulation device includes power control logic configured to reduce power provided to the processor.

6. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The heat modulation device comprises a heating device; and The processing unit is configured to cause the heating device to cause an increase in the device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that The heating device includes at least one of a resistive heater, a ceramic heater, a Kapton heater, a cartridge heater, a printed circuit board heater, or an induction heater.

8. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The heat modulation device comprises a thermoelectric cooler; and The processing unit is configured to cause the thermoelectric cooler to cause an increase in the device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a heat sink temperature sensor configured to generate a device temperature associated with the two-phase heat sink; Wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine the device temperature based on the device temperature data.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a component temperature sensor configured to generate component temperature data associated with a system component other than the two-phase heat sink; Wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine the device temperature based on the component temperature data.

11. The device according to claim 10, characterized in that The component temperature sensor is integrated into the integrated circuit device.

12. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The processing unit is further configured to: determining that the two-phase heat sink is no longer experiencing the dry condition; and The device temperature within the two-phase heat sink is returned to a steady state temperature.

13. A method comprising: determining, by a processing unit, a device temperature associated with a two-phase heat sink device thermally coupled to an integrated circuit device; Determining, by the processing unit, that the two-phase heat dissipation device is in a dry state based on the device temperature; as well as In response to detecting that the two-phase heat dissipation device is in the dry state, an increase in the device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device is caused by the processing unit.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that: The two-phase heat dissipation device includes a fluid; Increasing a device temperature of the fluid causes a decrease in viscosity associated with the fluid; and Reducing the viscosity associated with the fluid results in an improvement in the ability of the two-phase heat sink device to cool the integrated circuit device.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising causing a thermal modulation device to increase the device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that The thermal modulation device includes a cooling fan, and the method further includes reducing at least one of a fan speed or a fan duty cycle to cause an increase in the device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that: The integrated circuit device includes a processor; and The thermal modulation device includes power control logic configured to reduce power provided to the processor.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that The heat modulation device includes a heating device, and the method further includes instructing the heating device to cause an increase in the device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

19. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that The heat modulation device includes a thermoelectric cooler, and the method further includes instructing the thermoelectric cooler to cause an increase in the device temperature within the two-phase heat dissipation device.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising: generating device temperature data associated with the two-phase heat dissipation device by means of a heat dissipation device temperature sensor; as well as The device temperature is determined, by the processing unit, based on the device temperature data.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising: generating, via a component temperature sensor, component temperature data associated with a system component other than the two-phase heat sink; as well as The device temperature is determined, by the processing unit, based on the component temperature data.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that The component temperature sensor is integrated into the integrated circuit device.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprising: Determining, by the processing unit, that the two-phase heat dissipation device is no longer experiencing the dry state; as well as The device temperature in the two-phase heat dissipation device is returned to a steady-state temperature by the processing unit.

24. At least one machine-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform any of the methods of claims 13-23.

25. An apparatus comprising means for performing any of the methods of claims 13-23.

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