Main sheet for vapor chamber, vapor chamber and electronic equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides a main sheet for a vapor chamber, a vapor chamber, and electronic equipment that can improve the transportability of the vapor chamber. [Solution] The vapor chamber 1 comprises a main body sheet having a first main body surface 31a and a second main body surface 31b provided on the opposite side of the first main body surface 31a, a space provided on the first main body surface 31a of the main body sheet, a first sheet laminated on the first main body surface 31a of the main body sheet to cover the space, and in a plan view, retractable portions 15a and 15b that are retracted towards the space side from the outer peripheral edge of the main body sheet or the first sheet.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a main body sheet for a vapor chamber, a vapor chamber, and an electronic device.

Background Art

[0002] Devices that generate heat, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a light-emitting diode (LED), and a power semiconductor, which are used in mobile terminals such as mobile phones and tablet terminals, are cooled by heat dissipation members such as heat pipes (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In recent years, due to the thinning of mobile terminals and the like, thinning of the heat dissipation member has also been demanded, and the development of a vapor chamber that can be made thinner than a heat pipe has been underway. A working fluid is enclosed in the vapor chamber, and the vapor chamber cools the device by the working fluid absorbing and diffusing the heat of the device.

[0003] More specifically, the working fluid in the vapor chamber receives heat from the device in a portion (evaporation portion) close to the device and evaporates into vapor (working vapor). The working vapor diffuses and cools in the direction away from the evaporation portion in the vapor flow path portion, and condenses into a liquid. In the vapor chamber, a liquid flow path portion as a capillary structure (wick) is provided, and the liquid (working liquid) of the working fluid enters from the vapor flow path portion into the liquid flow path portion, flows through the liquid flow path portion, and is transported toward the evaporation portion. Then, the working liquid receives heat again in the evaporation portion and evaporates. In this way, the working fluid refluxes in the vapor chamber while repeating phase changes, that is, evaporation and condensation, to transfer the heat of the device and improve the heat dissipation efficiency.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The manufactured vapor chambers are placed and stored in a designated location. Subsequently, the vapor chambers are removed from their storage location and transported when they are shipped or installed in a device.

[0006] However, the vapor chamber is thin, and its sides are formed vertically, lacking any gripping points for transport. Therefore, transporting the vapor chamber can sometimes be difficult.

[0007] This disclosure aims to provide a main sheet for a vapor chamber, a vapor chamber, and electronic equipment that can improve the transportability of the vapor chamber, taking these points into consideration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The first form of this disclosure is, A vapor chamber in which a working fluid is sealed, A main body sheet having a first main body surface and a second main body surface provided on the opposite side from the first main body surface, The space provided on the first main body surface of the main body sheet, A first sheet laminated on the first main body surface of the main body sheet to cover the space, The vapor chamber comprises, in a plan view, a retractable portion that is retracted on the side of the space portion than the outer edge of the main sheet or the first sheet.

[0009] A second aspect of this disclosure relates to the vapor chamber according to the first aspect described above, The aforementioned retraction portion is a first retraction portion provided on the first sheet, and may include a first retraction portion that, in a plan view, is retracted to the side of the space portion rather than the outer peripheral edge of the main sheet.

[0010] A third aspect of this disclosure relates to the vapor chamber according to the first aspect described above, The aforementioned retraction portion is a main sheet retraction portion provided on the main sheet, and may include a main sheet retraction portion that, in a plan view, is retracted to the side of the space portion rather than the outer peripheral edge of the first sheet.

[0011] A fourth aspect of this disclosure relates to a vapor chamber according to each of the first to third aspects described above, The first sheet may, in a plan view, have a pair of first side edges extending in a first direction and a pair of second side edges extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The retractable portions may be provided on the pair of first side edges and the pair of second side edges, respectively.

[0012] A fifth aspect of this disclosure relates to a vapor chamber according to each of the first to third aspects described above, The first sheet may, in a plan view, have a pair of first side edges extending in a first direction and a pair of second side edges extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The retractable portion may be provided on at least one of the pair of first side edges.

[0013] A sixth aspect of this disclosure relates to a vapor chamber according to the fifth aspect described above, The retractable portion may be provided on both of the pair of first side edges.

[0014] A seventh aspect of this disclosure relates to a vapor chamber according to the fifth aspect and the sixth aspect described above, respectively. The recessed portion may be provided on a part of the first side edge.

[0015] An eighth aspect of this disclosure relates to a vapor chamber according to the fifth aspect described above, The retractable portion may be provided on one of the pair of first side edges and also on one of the pair of second side edges.

[0016] In a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, in the vapor chamber according to each of the first aspect to the eighth aspect described above, the drawing-in portion may be drawn in to a position 10 μm or more and 1000 μm or less away from the outer peripheral edge of the main body sheet in a plan view.

[0017] In a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, in the vapor chamber according to each of the first aspect to the ninth aspect described above, the drawing-in portion may be provided at a position 30 μm or more away from the space portion in a plan view.

[0018] In an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, in the vapor chamber according to each of the first aspect to the tenth aspect described above, a second sheet laminated on the second main body surface of the main body sheet is provided, the space portion penetrates from the first main body surface to the second main body surface, the second sheet covers the space portion on the second main body surface, the drawing-in portion is a second drawing-in portion provided on the second sheet, and may include a second drawing-in portion drawn in to the side of the space portion rather than the outer peripheral edge of the main body sheet in a plan view.

[0019] A twelfth aspect of the present disclosure is a vapor chamber in which a working fluid is enclosed, a main body sheet having a first main body surface and a second main body surface provided on the side opposite to the first main body surface, a space portion provided on the first main body surface of the main body sheet, a first sheet laminated on the first main body surface of the main body sheet to cover the space portion, a through hole passing through the main body sheet and the first sheet, and a drawing-in portion drawn in to the side opposite to the through hole rather than the inner peripheral edge defining the through hole of the main body sheet or the first sheet in a plan view.

[0020] A thirteenth aspect of this disclosure relates to a vapor chamber according to the twelfth aspect described above, The aforementioned retracted portion is a first retracted portion provided on the first sheet, and in a plan view, may include a first retracted portion that is retracted on the side opposite to the through hole from the inner peripheral edge defining the through hole of the main sheet.

[0021] A fourteenth aspect of this disclosure relates to a vapor chamber according to the twelfth aspect and the thirteenth aspect described above, The main body sheet comprises a second sheet laminated on the second main body surface, The aforementioned space extends from the first main body surface to the second main body surface. The second sheet covers the space on the second main body surface, The through-hole penetrates the main sheet, the first sheet, and the second sheet. The aforementioned retraction portion is a second retraction portion provided on the second sheet, and in a plan view, may include a second retraction portion that is retracted on the side opposite to the through hole from the inner peripheral edge defining the through hole of the main sheet.

[0022] A fifteenth aspect of this disclosure relates to a vapor chamber according to the twelfth aspect described above, The aforementioned retraction portion is a main sheet retraction portion provided on the main sheet, and may include, in a plan view, a main sheet retraction portion that is retracted on the side opposite to the through hole from the inner peripheral edge defining the through hole of the first sheet.

[0023] The sixteenth aspect of this disclosure is: Housing and The device housed within the aforementioned housing, The electronic device comprises a vapor chamber, which is in thermal contact with the device, according to any of the first to fifteenth embodiments described above.

[0024] The seventeenth aspect of this disclosure is: A main body sheet for a vapor chamber in which a working fluid is sealed, The first main surface and A second main body surface is provided on the opposite side from the first main body surface, The space provided on the first main body surface, The outer edge in plan view, The main body sheet for a vapor chamber comprises, in a cross-sectional view along the thickness direction, a retracted portion that is drawn in from the outer peripheral edge towards the space.

[0025] An eighteenth aspect of this disclosure relates to a main body sheet for a vapor chamber according to the seventeenth aspect described above, In the cross-sectional view, the retracted portion may have a retracted edge extending from the outer peripheral edge. The outer peripheral edge may be located on the side of the second main body surface. The recessed edge may extend from the outer peripheral edge to the first main body surface. The recessed edge may be curved in a concave shape toward the side of the space.

[0026] A 19th aspect of this disclosure relates to a main body sheet for a vapor chamber according to the 17th aspect described above, In the cross-sectional view, the retracted portion may have a retracted edge extending from the outer peripheral edge. The outer peripheral edge may be located on the side of the second main body surface. The recessed edge may extend from the outer peripheral edge to the first main body surface. The recessed edge may be inclined with respect to the thickness direction.

[0027] A 20th aspect of this disclosure relates to a main body sheet for a vapor chamber according to the 17th aspect described above, In the cross-sectional view, the retracted portion may have a retracted edge extending from the outer peripheral edge. The outer peripheral edge may be located on the side of the second main body surface. The recessed edge may extend from the outer peripheral edge to the first main body surface. The recessed edge may be curved in a convex shape toward the opposite side from the space.

[0028] A 21st aspect of this disclosure relates to a main body sheet for a vapor chamber according to each of the 18th to 20th aspects described above, The recessed edge may be formed to approach the space as it approaches the first main body surface.

[0029] A 22nd aspect of this disclosure relates to a main body sheet for a vapor chamber according to the 17th aspect described above, In the cross-sectional view, the retracted portion may have a retracted edge extending from the outer peripheral edge. The outer peripheral edge may be located on the side of the second main body surface. The recessed edge may include a first recessed edge extending from the first main body surface toward the second main body surface, a second recessed edge extending from the second main body surface toward the first main body surface, and a stepped connecting edge connecting the first recessed edge and the second recessed edge.

[0030] A 23rd aspect of this disclosure relates to a main body sheet for a vapor chamber according to the 18th aspect described above, The recessed edge may extend from the outer peripheral edge through the relay point to the first main body surface. The recessed edge may be formed such that it approaches the space as it approaches the relay point from the outer peripheral edge, and moves away from the space as it approaches the first main body surface from the relay point.

[0031] A 24th aspect of this disclosure relates to a main body sheet for a vapor chamber according to the 17th aspect described above, The aforementioned retraction portion may include a first main body surface side retraction portion provided on the side of the first main body surface and a second main body surface side retraction portion provided on the side of the second main body surface. The outer peripheral edge may be located between the first body surface and the second body surface.

[0032] A 25th aspect of this disclosure relates to a main body sheet for a vapor chamber according to the 24th aspect described above, In the cross-sectional view, the first main body surface side recess portion may have a first main body surface side recess edge extending from the outer peripheral edge to the first main body surface. The recessed edge on the first main body surface may be curved in a concave shape toward the space as it approaches the first main body surface, In the cross-sectional view, the second main body surface side recess portion may have a second main body surface side recess edge extending from the outer peripheral edge to the second main body surface. The recessed edge on the second main body surface may be curved in a concave shape toward the space as it approaches the second main body surface, so as it approaches the space, it will move toward the space.

[0033] A 26th aspect of this disclosure relates to a main body sheet for a vapor chamber according to each of the 17th to 25th aspects described above, In the plan view, the outer edge may have a pair of first side edges extending in a first direction and a pair of second side edges extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The retracted portion may be retracted from a pair of first side edges and a pair of second side edges, respectively.

[0034] A 27th aspect of this disclosure relates to a main body sheet for a vapor chamber according to each of the 17th to 25th aspects described above, In the plan view, the outer edge may have a pair of first side edges extending in a first direction and a pair of second side edges extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The retracted portion may be retracted from at least one of the pair of first side edges.

[0035] A 28th aspect of this disclosure relates to a main body sheet for a vapor chamber according to the 27th aspect described above, The retractable portion may be retracted from one of the pair of first side edges and also from one of the pair of second side edges.

[0036] A 29th aspect of this disclosure relates to a main body sheet for a vapor chamber according to each of the 26th to 28th aspects described above, The recessed portion may be retracted from a part of the first side edge.

[0037] A 30th aspect of this disclosure is: A main body sheet for a vapor chamber according to any of the 17th to 29th embodiments described above, A vapor chamber comprising a first sheet laminated on the first main body surface to cover the space.

[0038] A 31st aspect of this disclosure relates to a vapor chamber according to the 30th aspect described above, The second main body surface may also be provided with a second sheet laminated thereon. The aforementioned space may penetrate from the first main body surface to the second main body surface. The second sheet may cover the space on the second main body surface.

[0039] A third aspect of this disclosure is: Housing and The device housed within the aforementioned housing, The electronic device comprises a vapor chamber according to the 29th or 30th embodiment described above, which is in thermal contact with the device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0040] According to this disclosure, the transportability of the vapor chamber can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0041] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an electronic device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a top view showing a vapor chamber according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Figure 2. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a top view of the lower sheet shown in Figure 3. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a bottom view of the upper sheet shown in Figure 3. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a top view of the wick sheet shown in Figure 3. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of Figure 3. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a partially enlarged bottom view of the liquid flow channel shown in Figure 7. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating the material sheet preparation step in the method for manufacturing a vapor chamber according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating the etching process in the method for manufacturing a vapor chamber according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating the joining process in the manufacturing method of a vapor chamber according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] Figure 12 shows a state in which vapor chambers manufactured by the vapor chamber manufacturing method according to the first embodiment are stacked and placed on top of each other. [Figure 13] Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating the method of transporting the vapor chamber shown in Figure 12, and shows the state in which the claw portion of the suspension device is inserted into the lower sheet retraction section. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a diagram illustrating the method of transporting the vapor chamber shown in Figure 12, and shows the vapor chamber suspended by a suspension device. [Figure 15] Figure 15 is a diagram illustrating a typical vapor chamber transport method. [Figure 16] Figure 16 is a modified version of Figure 2 (the first modified version). [Figure 17] Figure 17 is a cross-sectional view along line BB in Figure 16. [Figure 18] Figure 18 is a modified version of Figure 2 (the second modified version). [Figure 19]Figure 19 is a modified version of Figure 2 (the third modified version). [Figure 20] Figure 20 is a modified version of Figure 2 (the fourth modified version). [Figure 21] Figure 21 is a modified version of Figure 3 (the fifth modified version). [Figure 22] Figure 22 is a modified version of Figure 3 (the sixth modified version). [Figure 23] Figure 23 is a modified version of Figure 3 (the seventh modified version). [Figure 24] Figure 24 is a modified version of Figure 2 (the eighth modified version). [Figure 25] Figure 25 is a cross-sectional view along the CC line in Figure 24. [Figure 26] Figure 26 is a diagram illustrating the method of transporting the vapor chamber shown in Figure 25. [Figure 27] Figure 27 is a modified version of Figure 3 (the ninth modified version). [Figure 28] Figure 28 is a top view showing a vapor chamber according to the second embodiment. [Figure 29] Figure 29 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A'-A' in Figure 28. [Figure 30] Figure 30 is a diagram illustrating the method of transporting the vapor chamber shown in Figure 29. [Figure 31] Figure 31 is a modified version of Figure 29 (the fifth modified version). [Figure 32] Figure 32 is a modified version of Figure 28 (the eighth modified version). [Figure 33] Figure 33 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C'-C' in Figure 32. [Figure 34] Figure 34 is a diagram illustrating the method of transporting the vapor chamber shown in Figure 33. [Figure 35] Figure 35 is a top view showing a vapor chamber according to a third embodiment. [Figure 36] Figure 36 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA-AA in Figure 35. [Figure 37] Figure 37 is a top view of the lower sheet shown in Figure 36. [Figure 38]Figure 38 is a bottom view of the upper sheet shown in Figure 36. [Figure 39] Figure 39 is a top view of the wick sheet shown in Figure 36. [Figure 40] Figure 40 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of Figure 36. [Figure 41] Figure 41 is a partially enlarged bottom view of the liquid flow channel shown in Figure 40. [Figure 42] Figure 42 is a diagram illustrating the material sheet preparation step in the manufacturing method of a vapor chamber according to the third embodiment. [Figure 43] Figure 43 is a diagram illustrating the etching process in the manufacturing method of a vapor chamber according to the third embodiment. [Figure 44] Figure 44 is a diagram illustrating the joining process in the manufacturing method of a vapor chamber according to the third embodiment. [Figure 45] Figure 45 shows a state in which vapor chambers manufactured by the vapor chamber manufacturing method according to the third embodiment are stacked and placed on top of each other. [Figure 46] Figure 46 is a diagram illustrating the method of transporting the vapor chamber shown in Figure 45, and shows the state in which the claw portion of the suspension device is engaged with the retraction portion. [Figure 47] Figure 47 is a diagram illustrating the method of transporting the vapor chamber shown in Figure 45, and shows the vapor chamber suspended by a suspension device. [Figure 48] Figure 48 is a diagram illustrating a typical vapor chamber transport method. [Figure 49] Figure 49 is a modified version (first modified version) of Figure 36. [Figure 50] Figure 50 is a modified version (second modified version) of Figure 36. [Figure 51] Figure 51 is a modified version (third modified version) of Figure 36. [Figure 52] Figure 52 is a modified version of Figure 36 (the fourth modified version). [Figure 53]Figure 53 is a modified version of Figure 36 (the fifth modified version). [Figure 54] Figure 54 is a modified version of Figure 35 (the sixth modified version). [Figure 55] Figure 55 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB-BB in Figure 54. [Figure 56] Figure 56 is a modified version of Figure 35 (the seventh modified version). [Figure 57] Figure 57 is a modified version of Figure 35 (the eighth modified version). [Figure 58] Figure 58 is a modified version of Figure 36 (the 10th modified version). [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0042] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that, for the sake of illustration and ease of understanding, the scale and aspect ratios of the drawings accompanying this specification have been appropriately altered and exaggerated from those of the actual objects.

[0043] Furthermore, terms used in this specification to specify shapes, geometric conditions, physical properties, and their degrees, such as "parallel," "orthogonal," and "identical," as well as values ​​for length, angle, and physical properties, should not be interpreted strictly, but rather to include a range within which similar functions can be expected. In addition, while the drawings regularly depict the shapes of multiple parts that can be expected to perform similar functions, the shapes of these parts may differ from each other within the range within which the function can be expected, without being bound by a strict definition. Also, while the drawings show boundary lines indicating joint surfaces between members as simple straight lines for convenience, they are not required to be strictly straight lines, and the shape of these boundary lines is arbitrary within the range within which the desired joint performance can be expected. Moreover, boundary lines may be lost when members are joined together.

[0044] (First Embodiment) The vapor chamber and electronic device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 8. The vapor chamber 1 according to this embodiment is a device mounted on the electronic device E to cool the device D (the device to be cooled) which is a heat-generating element housed in the electronic device E. Examples of electronic devices E include mobile terminals such as handheld terminals and tablet terminals. Examples of device D include electronic devices that generate heat, such as central processing units (CPUs), light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and power semiconductors.

[0045] Here, we will first describe the electronic device E equipped with the vapor chamber 1 according to this embodiment, using a tablet terminal as an example. As shown in Figure 1, the electronic device E (tablet terminal) comprises a housing H, a device D housed within the housing H, and the vapor chamber 1. In the electronic device E shown in Figure 1, a touch panel display TD is provided on the front of the housing H. The vapor chamber 1 is housed within the housing H and positioned to be in thermal contact with the device D. This allows the vapor chamber 1 to receive the heat generated by the device D when the electronic device E is in use. The heat received by the vapor chamber 1 is released to the outside of the vapor chamber 1 via the working fluids 2a and 2b, which will be described later. In this way, the device D is effectively cooled. When the electronic device E is a tablet terminal, the device D corresponds to a central processing unit, etc.

[0046] Next, the vapor chamber 1 according to this embodiment will be described. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the vapor chamber 1 has a sealed space 3 in which working fluids 2a and 2b are sealed. The device D of the electronic device E described above is cooled by the repeated phase changes of the working fluids 2a and 2b in the sealed space 3. Examples of working fluids 2a and 2b include pure water, ethanol, methanol, acetone, and mixtures thereof.

[0047] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the vapor chamber 1 comprises a lower sheet 10 (first sheet), an upper sheet 20 (second sheet), and a wick sheet 30 (main sheet) for the vapor chamber interposed between the lower sheet 10 and the upper sheet 20. In this embodiment, the vapor chamber 1 comprises one wick sheet 30. In this embodiment, the vapor chamber 1 is constructed by stacking and joining the lower sheet 10, the wick sheet 30, and the upper sheet 20 in this order.

[0048] The vapor chamber 1 is generally formed in the shape of a thin, flat plate. The planar shape of the vapor chamber 1 is arbitrary, but it may be rectangular as shown in Figure 2. The planar shape of the vapor chamber 1 may be, for example, a rectangle with one side of 1 cm and the other side of 3 cm, or a square with one side of 15 cm, and the planar dimensions of the vapor chamber 1 are arbitrary. In this embodiment, as an example, an example in which the planar shape of the vapor chamber 1 is rectangular with the X direction as the longitudinal direction will be described. Note that the planar shape of the vapor chamber 1 is not limited to a rectangle, and can be any shape such as a circle, an ellipse, an L-shape, or a T-shape.

[0049] As shown in Figure 2, the vapor chamber 1 has an evaporation region SR where the working fluids 2a and 2b evaporate, and a condensation region CR where the working fluids 2a and 2b condense.

[0050] The evaporation region SR is the region that overlaps with device D in a plan view, and is the region where device D is mounted. The evaporation region SR can be located anywhere in the vapor chamber 1. In this embodiment, the evaporation region SR is formed on one side of the vapor chamber 1 in the X direction (the left side in Figure 2). Heat from device D is transferred to the evaporation region SR, and this heat causes the working fluid (referred to as working fluid 2b as appropriate) to evaporate in the evaporation region SR. Heat from device D can be transferred not only to the region that overlaps with device D in a plan view, but also to the surrounding area. Therefore, the evaporation region SR includes the region that overlaps with device D and the surrounding area in a plan view. Here, a plan view refers to the view of the vapor chamber 1 from a direction perpendicular to the surface that receives heat from the device D (the first lower sheet surface 10a of the lower sheet 10, described later) and the surface that releases the received heat (the second upper sheet surface 20b of the upper sheet 20, described later). For example, as shown in Figure 2, this corresponds to the view of the vapor chamber 1 from above or from below.

[0051] The condensation region CR is a region that does not overlap with the device D in a plan view, and is primarily a region where the working fluid vapor (referred to as working vapor 2a as appropriate) releases heat and condenses. The condensation region CR can also be described as the region surrounding the evaporation region SR. In this embodiment, the condensation region CR is formed on the other side of the vapor chamber 1 in the X direction (the right side in Figure 2). In the condensation region CR, heat from the working vapor 2a is released to the upper sheet 20, and the working vapor 2a is cooled and condenses in the condensation region CR.

[0052] Furthermore, when the vapor chamber 1 is installed inside a mobile terminal, the top-bottom relationship may be disrupted depending on the orientation of the mobile terminal. However, for convenience, in this embodiment, the sheet that receives heat from device D is referred to as the lower sheet 10, and the sheet that releases the received heat is referred to as the upper sheet 20. For this reason, the following explanation will be given with the lower sheet 10 positioned at the bottom and the upper sheet 20 positioned at the top.

[0053] First, let's explain the lower sheet 10.

[0054] As shown in Figure 3, the lower sheet 10 has a first lower sheet surface 10a located on the side opposite to the wick sheet 30, and a second lower sheet surface 10b located on the side opposite to the first lower sheet surface 10a (i.e., on the side of the wick sheet 30). The lower sheet 10 may be formed to be flat overall, or it may have a uniform thickness overall. The device D described above is attached to this first lower sheet surface 10a.

[0055] As shown in Figure 4, the planar shape of the lower sheet 10 may be rectangular overall. More specifically, the lower sheet 10 may have, in plan view, a pair of longitudinal side edges 11a, 11b (first side edges) extending in the X direction (first direction), and a pair of transverse side edges 11c, 11d (second side edges) extending in the Y direction (second direction) perpendicular to the X direction. The pair of longitudinal side edges 11a, 11b are provided on both sides in the Y direction. The longitudinal side edge 11a is provided on one side in the Y direction (the lower side in Figure 4), and the longitudinal side edge 11b is provided on the other side in the Y direction (the upper side in Figure 4). The pair of transverse side edges 11c, 11d are provided on both sides in the X direction. The short-side edge 11c is provided on one side in the X direction (left side in Figure 4), and the short-side edge 11d is provided on the other side in the X direction (right side in Figure 4). As will be described later, the lower sheet 10 is formed to be smaller overall than the wick sheet 30 in a plan view. For this reason, the outer peripheral edge 11o of the lower sheet 10, that is, the pair of longitudinal side edges 11a, 11b and the pair of short-side edges 11c, 11d, are provided with lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d (first retraction section), which will be described later.

[0056] As shown in Figure 4, the lower sheet 10 may have a rectangular lower sheet body 11 and a lower sheet injection projection 13 that protrudes outward from the lower sheet body 11. In the example shown in Figure 4, the lower sheet injection projection 13 is provided on the short-side edge 11c and protrudes from the short-side edge 11c to one side in the X direction (the left side in Figure 4).

[0057] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, alignment holes 12 may be provided at the four corners of the lower sheet body 11 of the lower sheet 10. In the example shown in Figure 4, the planar shape of the alignment holes 12 is circular, but it is not limited to this. The alignment holes 12 may penetrate the lower sheet body 11.

[0058] Next, we will explain the upper sheet 20.

[0059] As shown in Figure 3, the upper sheet 20 has a first upper sheet surface 20a provided on the side of the wick sheet 30 and a second upper sheet surface 20b provided on the opposite side from the first upper sheet surface 20a. The upper sheet 20 may be formed to be flat overall and may have a uniform thickness overall. A housing member Ha, which constitutes part of the housing H of a mobile terminal or the like, is attached to this second upper sheet surface 20b. The entire second upper sheet surface 20b may be covered by the housing member Ha.

[0060] As shown in Figure 5, the planar shape of the upper sheet 20 may be rectangular overall. More specifically, the upper sheet 20 may have, in plan view, a pair of longitudinal side edges 21a, 21b extending in the X direction and a pair of transverse side edges 21c, 21d extending in the Y direction. The pair of longitudinal side edges 21a, 21b are provided on both sides in the Y direction. The longitudinal side edge 21a is provided on one side in the Y direction (the lower side in Figure 5), and the longitudinal side edge 21b is provided on the other side in the Y direction (the upper side in Figure 5). The pair of transverse side edges 21c, 21d are provided on both sides in the X direction. The transverse side edge 21c is provided on one side in the X direction (the left side in Figure 5), and the transverse side edge 21d is provided on the other side in the X direction (the right side in Figure 5). As will be described later, the upper sheet 20 is formed to be smaller overall than the wick sheet 30 in a plan view. For this reason, the outer peripheral edge 21o of the upper sheet 20, that is, a pair of longitudinal side edges 21a, 21b and a pair of transverse side edges 21c, 21d, are provided with upper sheet retraction sections 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d (second retraction sections), which will be described later.

[0061] As shown in Figure 5, the upper sheet 20 may have a rectangular upper sheet body 21 and an upper sheet injection projection 23 that protrudes outward from the upper sheet body 21. In the example shown in Figure 5, the upper sheet injection projection 23 is provided on the short-side edge 21c and protrudes from the short-side edge 21c to one side in the X direction (the left side in Figure 5).

[0062] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, alignment holes 22 may be provided at the four corners of the upper sheet body 21 of the upper sheet 20. In the example shown in Figure 5, the planar shape of the alignment holes 22 is circular, but it is not limited to this. The alignment holes 12 may penetrate the upper sheet body 21.

[0063] Next, we will explain the wick sheet 30.

[0064] As shown in Figure 3, the wick sheet 30 comprises a sheet body 31 and a steam flow path section 50 (space) provided in the sheet body 31. The sheet body 31 has a first body surface 31a and a second body surface 31b provided on the opposite side from the first body surface 31a. The first body surface 31a is located on the side of the lower sheet 10, and the second body surface 31b is located on the side of the upper sheet 20.

[0065] The second lower sheet surface 10b of the lower sheet 10 and the first main body surface 31a of the sheet body 31 may be permanently joined to each other by thermocompression bonding. Similarly, the first upper sheet surface 20a of the upper sheet 20 and the second main body surface 31b of the sheet body 31 may be permanently joined to each other by thermocompression bonding. An example of joining by thermocompression bonding is diffusion bonding. However, the lower sheet 10, upper sheet 20 and wick sheet 30 may be joined by other methods such as brazing, as long as they can be permanently joined, rather than by diffusion bonding. The term "permanently joined" is not strictly defined and is used to mean that the joining between the lower sheet 10 and the wick sheet 30 can be maintained to the extent that the airtightness of the sealed space 3 can be maintained when the vapor chamber 1 is in operation, and that the joining between the upper sheet 20 and the wick sheet 30 can be maintained.

[0066] As shown in Figure 6, in plan view, the overall shape of the wick sheet 30 may be rectangular. More specifically, in plan view, the wick sheet 30 may have a pair of longitudinal side edges 32a, 32b extending in the X direction and a pair of transverse side edges 32c, 32d extending in the Y direction. The pair of longitudinal side edges 32a, 32b are provided on both sides in the Y direction. The longitudinal side edge 32a is provided on one side in the Y direction (the lower side in Figure 6), and the longitudinal side edge 32b is provided on the other side in the Y direction (the upper side in Figure 6). The pair of transverse side edges 32c, 32d are provided on both sides in the X direction. The transverse side edge 32c is provided on one side in the X direction (the left side in Figure 6), and the transverse side edge 32d is provided on the other side in the X direction (the right side in Figure 6).

[0067] As shown in Figure 6, the wick sheet 30 may have a wick sheet injection projection 36 that protrudes outward from the frame portion 32. In the example shown in Figure 6, the wick sheet injection projection 36 is provided on the short-side edge 32c and protrudes from the short-side edge 32c to one side in the X direction (the left side in Figure 6).

[0068] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, alignment holes 35 may be provided at the four corners of the sheet body 31 of the wick sheet 30. In the example shown in Figure 6, the planar shape of the alignment holes 35 is circular, but it is not limited to this. The alignment holes 35 may penetrate the sheet body 31.

[0069] As shown in Figures 3 and 6, the sheet body 31 of the wick sheet 30 according to this embodiment has a frame portion 32 formed in the shape of a rectangular frame in a plan view, and a plurality of land portions 33 provided within the frame portion 32. The frame portion 32 and the land portions 33 are parts where the material of the wick sheet 30 remains without being etched in the etching process described later.

[0070] In this embodiment, the frame portion 32 is formed in the shape of a rectangular frame when viewed from above. A steam flow path portion 50 (space portion) is provided inside this frame portion 32. Each land portion 33 is provided in the steam flow path portion 50, and the operating steam 2a flows around each land portion 33. That is, the steam flow path portion 50 includes the above-mentioned plurality of land portions 33 and steam passages 51 and 52, which will be described later, provided around each land portion 33 and are passages through which the operating steam 2a flows.

[0071] In this embodiment, the land portion 33 may extend in an elongated shape with the X direction (left-right direction in Figure 6) as its longitudinal direction in a plan view, and the planar shape of the land portion 33 may be an elongated rectangular shape. Furthermore, each land portion 33 may be spaced equally apart in the Y direction (up-down direction in Figure 6) perpendicular to the X direction and arranged parallel to each other. The width w1 of the land portion 33 (see Figure 7) may be, for example, 100 μm to 1500 μm. Here, the width w1 of the land portion 33 is the dimension of the land portion 33 in the Y direction, and means the dimension at the position where the through portion 34, which will be described later, exists in the Z direction. Here, the Z direction corresponds to the up-down direction in Figures 3 and 7, and corresponds to the thickness direction of the wick sheet 30.

[0072] The frame portion 32 and each land portion 33 are joined to the lower sheet 10 by heat compression and are also joined to the upper sheet 20 by heat compression. The wall surface 53a of the lower steam flow recess 53 and the wall surface 54a of the upper steam flow recess 54, which will be described later, constitute the side walls of the land portion 33. The first body surface 31a and the second body surface 31b of the sheet body 31 may be formed flat over the frame portion 32 and each land portion 33.

[0073] The steam passage section 50 is primarily a passage through which the working steam 2a passes. The working fluid 2b may also pass through the steam passage section 50. As shown in Figures 3 and 7, the steam passage section 50 may penetrate from the first main body surface 31a to the second main body surface 31b. That is, it may penetrate the sheet body 31 of the wick sheet 30. The steam passage section 50 may be covered by the lower sheet 10 on the first main body surface 31a, and may be covered by the upper sheet 20 on the second main body surface 31b.

[0074] As shown in Figure 6, the steam flow section 50 in this embodiment has a first steam passage 51 and a plurality of second steam passages 52. The first steam passage 51 is formed between the frame section 32 and the land section 33. This first steam passage 51 is formed continuously on the inside of the frame section 32 and on the outside of the land section 33. The planar shape of the first steam passage 51 is a rectangular frame shape. The second steam passages 52 are formed between adjacent land sections 33. The planar shape of the second steam passages 52 is an elongated rectangle shape. The plurality of land sections 33 divide the steam flow section 50 into the first steam passage 51 and the plurality of second steam passages 52.

[0075] As shown in Figure 3, the first steam passage 51 and the second steam passage 52 penetrate the sheet body 31 from the first body surface 31a to the second body surface 31b. That is, they penetrate the wick sheet 30 in the Z direction. The first steam passage 51 and the second steam passage 52 are each composed of a lower steam passage recess 53 provided on the first body surface 31a and an upper steam passage recess 54 provided on the second body surface 31b. The lower steam passage recess 53 and the upper steam passage recess 54 are in communication with each other, so that the first steam passage 51 and the second steam passage 52 of the steam passage section 50 extend from the first body surface 31a to the second body surface 31b.

[0076] The lower steam passage recess 53 is formed in a concave shape on the first main surface 31a of the wick sheet 30 by etching it from the first main surface 31a in the etching process described later. As a result, the lower steam passage recess 53 has a curved wall surface 53a, as shown in Figure 7. This wall surface 53a defines the lower steam passage recess 53 and, in the cross-section shown in Figure 7, curves so as it proceeds toward the second main surface 31b, it approaches the opposing wall surface 53a. This lower steam passage recess 53 constitutes a part (lower half) of the first steam passage 51 and a part (lower half) of the second steam passage 52.

[0077] The upper steam passage recess 54 is formed in a concave shape on the second main surface 31b of the wick sheet 30 by etching from the second main surface 31b in the etching process described later. As a result, the upper steam passage recess 54 has a curved wall surface 54a, as shown in Figure 7. This wall surface 54a defines the upper steam passage recess 54 and, in the cross-section shown in Figure 7, curves so as it proceeds toward the first main surface 31a, it approaches the opposing wall surface 54a. This upper steam passage recess 54 constitutes a part (upper half) of the first steam passage 51 and a part (upper half) of the second steam passage 52.

[0078] As shown in Figure 7, the wall surface 53a of the lower steam passage recess 53 and the wall surface 54a of the upper steam passage recess 54 are connected to form a penetration 34. The wall surfaces 53a and 54a are curved toward the penetration 34. As a result, the lower steam passage recess 53 and the upper steam passage recess 54 are in communication with each other. In this embodiment, the planar shape of the penetration 34 in the first steam passage 51 is a rectangular frame shape, similar to the first steam passage 51, and the planar shape of the penetration 34 in the second steam passage 52 is an elongated rectangular shape, similar to the second steam passage 52. The penetration 34 may be defined by a ridge formed by the confluence of the wall surface 53a of the lower steam passage recess 53 and the wall surface 54a of the upper steam passage recess 54, which protrudes inward. The planar area of ​​the steam passage section 50 is minimized at this penetration 34. The widths w2 and w2' of the through-holes 34 (see Figure 7) may be, for example, 400 μm to 1600 μm. Here, the width w2 of the through-hole 34 corresponds to the gap between adjacent land portions 33 in the Y direction. The width w2' of the through-hole 34 corresponds to the gap between the frame portion 32 and the land portion 33 in the Y direction (or X direction).

[0079] The position of the penetration 34 in the Z direction may be at an intermediate position between the first main body surface 31a and the second main body surface 31b, or it may be at a position shifted downward or upward from the intermediate position. The position of the penetration 34 is arbitrary as long as the lower steam flow recess 53 and the upper steam flow recess 54 are in communication.

[0080] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cross-sectional shapes of the first steam passage 51 and the second steam passage 52 are formed to include a through-port 34 defined by a ridge that protrudes inward, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the cross-sectional shapes of the first steam passage 51 and the second steam passage 52 may be trapezoidal, rectangular, or barrel-shaped.

[0081] The steam flow path section 50, including the first steam passage 51 and the second steam passage 52 configured in this way, constitutes a part of the sealed space 3 described above. Each steam passage 51 and 52 has a relatively large flow path cross-sectional area to allow the working steam 2a to pass through.

[0082] Here, Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of the first steam passage 51 and the second steam passage 52, etc., to clarify the drawing, and the number and arrangement of these steam passages 51, 52, etc. differ from those in Figures 2 and 6.

[0083] Incidentally, although not shown in the figures, multiple support parts may be provided within the steam flow path section 50 to support the land section 33 on the frame section 32. Also, support parts may be provided to support adjacent land sections 33 to each other. These support parts may be provided on both sides of the land section 33 in the X direction, or on both sides of the land section 33 in the Y direction. The support parts may be formed so as not to obstruct the flow of working steam 2a diffusing through the steam flow path section 50. For example, they may be arranged on one side of the first body surface 31a and the second body surface 31b of the sheet body 31 of the wick sheet 30, and a space forming a steam flow path recess may be formed on the other side. This makes the thickness of the support parts thinner than the thickness of the sheet body 31, and prevents the first steam passage 51 and the second steam passage 52 from being divided in the X and Y directions.

[0084] As shown in Figures 3, 6, and 7, a liquid channel section 60 (groove) is provided on the first main body surface 31a of the sheet body 31 of the wick sheet 30, through which the working fluid 2b mainly passes. More specifically, the liquid channel section 60 is provided on the first main body surface 31a of each land section 33 of the wick sheet 30. Working vapor 2a may also pass through the liquid channel section 60. This liquid channel section 60 constitutes part of the sealed space 3 described above and is in communication with the vapor channel section 50. The liquid channel section 60 is configured as a capillary structure (wick) for transporting the working fluid 2b to the evaporation region SR. The liquid channel section 60 may be formed over the entire first main body surface 31a of each land section 33. The liquid channel section 60 is not required to be provided on the second main body surface 31b of each land section 33.

[0085] As shown in Figure 8, the fluid flow channel section 60 is composed of a plurality of grooves provided on the first main body surface 31a. More specifically, the fluid flow channel section 60 has a plurality of main fluid flow channel grooves 61 through which the working fluid 2b passes, and a plurality of fluid flow channel connecting grooves 65 that communicate with the main fluid flow channel grooves 61.

[0086] Each liquid channel main groove 61 is formed to extend in the X direction, as shown in Figure 8. The liquid channel main groove 61 has a smaller channel cross-sectional area than the first steam passage 51 or the second steam passage 52 of the steam channel section 50, primarily so that the working fluid 2b flows by capillary action. In this way, the liquid channel main groove 61 is configured to transport the working fluid 2b condensed from the working steam 2a to the evaporation region SR. Each liquid channel main groove 61 may be arranged at equal intervals in the Y direction.

[0087] The liquid flow channel main channel groove 61 is formed by etching from the first main body surface 31a of the sheet body 31 of the wick sheet 30 in an etching process described later. As a result, the liquid flow channel main channel groove 61 has a curved wall surface 62, as shown in Figure 7. This wall surface 62 defines the liquid flow channel main channel groove 61 and curves concavely toward the second main body surface 31b.

[0088] The width w3 (dimension in the Y direction) of the liquid flow channel main groove 61 shown in Figures 7 and 8 may be, for example, 5 μm to 150 μm. Note that the width w3 of the liquid flow channel main groove 61 refers to the dimension on the first main body surface 31a. Also, the depth h1 (dimension in the Z direction) of the liquid flow channel main groove 61 shown in Figure 7 may be, for example, 3 μm to 150 μm.

[0089] As shown in Figure 8, each liquid flow channel connecting groove 65 extends in a direction different from the X direction. In this embodiment, each liquid flow channel connecting groove 65 is formed to extend in the Y direction and is formed perpendicular to the liquid flow channel main groove 61. Some liquid flow channel connecting grooves 65 are arranged to connect adjacent liquid flow channel main grooves 61 to each other. Other liquid flow channel connecting grooves 65 are arranged to connect the steam flow channel section 50 (first steam passage 51 or second steam passage 52) to the liquid flow channel main groove 61. That is, the liquid flow channel connecting groove 65 extends from the edge of the land section 33 in the Y direction to the liquid flow channel main groove 61 adjacent to that edge. In this way, the first steam passage 51 or second steam passage 52 of the steam flow channel section 50 and the liquid flow channel main groove 61 are in communication.

[0090] The liquid flow channel connecting grooves 65 have a smaller flow channel cross-sectional area than the first steam passage 51 or the second steam passage 52 of the steam flow channel section 50, primarily so that the working fluid 2b flows by capillary action. Each liquid flow channel connecting groove 65 may be arranged at equal intervals in the X direction.

[0091] The liquid flow channel connecting groove 65, like the liquid flow channel main groove 61, is formed by etching and has a curved wall surface (not shown) similar to that of the liquid flow channel main groove 61. The width w4 (dimension in the X direction) of the liquid flow channel connecting groove 65 shown in Figure 8 may be equal to the width w3 of the liquid flow channel main groove 61, but may be greater than or less than the width w3. The depth of the liquid flow channel connecting groove 65 may be equal to the depth h1 of the liquid flow channel main groove 61, but may be deeper than or shallower than the depth h1.

[0092] As shown in Figure 8, the liquid flow channel section 60 has a row of liquid flow channel protrusions 63 provided on the first main surface 31a of the sheet body 31. The row of liquid flow channel protrusions 63 is provided between adjacent liquid flow channel main grooves 61. Each row of liquid flow channel protrusions 63 includes a plurality of liquid flow channel protrusions 64 arranged in the X direction. The liquid flow channel protrusions 64 are provided within the liquid flow channel section 60 and are in contact with the second lower sheet surface 10b of the lower sheet 10. Each liquid flow channel protrusion 64 is formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view, with the X direction being the longitudinal direction. A liquid flow channel main groove 61 is interposed between adjacent liquid flow channel protrusions 64 in the Y direction, and a liquid flow channel connecting groove 65 is interposed between adjacent liquid flow channel protrusions 64 in the X direction. The liquid flow channel connecting groove 65 is formed to extend in the Y direction and connects adjacent liquid flow channel main grooves 61 in the Y direction. This allows the working fluid 2b to move freely between these main flow channels 61.

[0093] The liquid channel protrusions 64 are the parts of the wick sheet 30 that remain unetched in the etching process described later. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 8, the planar shape of the liquid channel protrusions 64 (the shape at the position of the first body surface 31a of the sheet body 31 of the wick sheet 30) is rectangular.

[0094] In this embodiment, the liquid channel protrusions 64 are arranged in a staggered pattern. More specifically, the liquid channel protrusions 64 of adjacent rows 63 in the Y direction are offset from each other in the X direction. This offset may be half the arrangement pitch of the liquid channel protrusions 64 in the X direction. The width w5 (dimension in the Y direction) of the liquid channel protrusions 64 shown in Figure 8 may be, for example, 5 μm to 500 μm. Note that the width w5 of the liquid channel protrusions 64 refers to the dimension on the first main body surface 31a. Note that the arrangement of the liquid channel protrusions 64 is not limited to a staggered pattern, and they may be arranged in parallel. In this case, the liquid channel protrusions 64 of adjacent rows 63 in the Y direction are aligned in the X direction as well.

[0095] The main fluid channel groove 61 includes a fluid channel intersection 66 that communicates with the fluid channel connecting groove 65. At the fluid channel intersection 66, the main fluid channel groove 61 and the fluid channel connecting groove 65 are connected in a T-shape. This prevents the fluid channel connecting groove 65 on the other side (for example, the lower side in Figure 8) from communicating with the main fluid channel groove 61 at the fluid channel intersection 66 where one main fluid channel groove 61 communicates with the fluid channel connecting groove 65 on one side (for example, the upper side in Figure 8). This prevents the wall surface 62 of the main fluid channel groove 61 from being cut out on both sides (upper and lower sides in Figure 8) at the fluid channel intersection 66, allowing one side of the wall surface 62 to remain intact. Therefore, even at the fluid channel intersection 66, capillary action can be imparted to the working fluid in the main fluid channel groove 61, and the reduction in the propulsive force of the working fluid 2b toward the evaporation region SR at the fluid channel intersection 66 can be suppressed.

[0096] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the vapor chamber 1 may further include an injection section 4 on one side edge in the X direction (the left side in Figure 2) for injecting the working fluid 2b into the sealed space 3. In the example shown in Figure 2, the injection section 4 is located on the side of the evaporation region SR and protrudes outward from the side edge on the evaporation region SR side.

[0097] The injection section 4 is composed of the lower sheet injection projection 13 of the lower sheet 10 (see Figure 4), the upper sheet injection projection 23 of the upper sheet 20 (see Figure 5), and the wick sheet injection projection 36 of the wick sheet 30 (see Figure 6), all of which overlap each other. In the illustrated example, the lower surface of the wick sheet injection projection 36 (first main body surface 31a) and the upper surface of the lower sheet injection projection 13 (second lower sheet surface 10b) overlap, and the upper surface of the wick sheet injection projection 36 (second main body surface 31b) and the lower surface of the upper sheet injection projection 23 (first upper sheet surface 20a) overlap. An injection channel 37 may be formed in the wick sheet injection projection 36. This injection channel 37 may penetrate from the first main body surface 31a to the second main body surface 31b of the sheet body 31. In other words, the injection channel 37 may penetrate the sheet body 31 (wick sheet injection projection 36) in the Z direction. The injection channel 37 is in communication with the first steam passage 51, and the working fluid 2b may be injected into the first steam passage 51 through the injection channel 37. Depending on the arrangement of the liquid flow channel section 60, the injection channel 37 may be made to communicate with the liquid flow channel section 60. The upper and lower surfaces of the wick sheet injection projection 36 may be formed flat, and the upper surface of the lower sheet injection projection 13 and the lower surface of the upper sheet injection projection 23 may also be formed flat. The planar shapes of each injection projection 13, 23, and 36 may be the same.

[0098] In this embodiment, the injection section 4 is shown as being located on one of a pair of side edges in the X direction of the vapor chamber 1, but it is not limited to this and can be located at any position. Furthermore, the injection channel 37 provided in the wick sheet injection projection 36 does not need to penetrate the sheet body 31 as long as it can inject the working fluid 2b. In this case, the injection channel 37 communicating with the vapor channel section 50 can be formed by etching from only one of the first body surface 31a and the second body surface 31b of the sheet body 31. Also, the injection section 4 may be cut and removed during the manufacturing of the vapor chamber 1 after the working fluid 2b has been injected.

[0099] Incidentally, in this embodiment, as described above, the lower sheet 10 is formed to be smaller overall than the wick sheet 30 in a plan view. For this reason, as shown in Figures 2, 3, and 7, the outer peripheral edge 11o of the lower sheet 10 is positioned inward from the outer peripheral edge 32o of the wick sheet 30, that is, on the side of the steam flow path 50. As a result, the lower sheet 10 is provided with lower sheet indentation portions 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d that are retracted on the side of the steam flow path 50 than the outer peripheral edge 32o of the wick sheet 30 in a plan view.

[0100] More specifically, the longitudinal side edge 11a of the lower sheet 10 is positioned closer to the steam flow channel 50 than the longitudinal side edge 32a of the wick sheet 30, and a lower sheet retraction portion 15a is formed on the longitudinal side edge 11a of the lower sheet 10. Also, the longitudinal side edge 11b of the lower sheet 10 is positioned closer to the steam flow channel 50 than the longitudinal side edge 32b of the wick sheet 30, and a lower sheet retraction portion 15b is formed on the longitudinal side edge 11b of the lower sheet 10. Furthermore, the short side edge 11c of the lower sheet 10 is positioned closer to the steam flow channel 50 than the short side edge 32c of the wick sheet 30, and a lower sheet retraction portion 15c is formed on the short side edge 11c of the lower sheet 10. Furthermore, the short-side edge 11d of the lower sheet 10 is positioned closer to the steam flow channel 50 than the short-side edge 32d of the wick sheet 30, and a lower sheet retraction portion 15d is formed on the short-side edge 11d of the lower sheet 10. In this way, the lower sheet retraction portions 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d are formed around the entire circumference of the outer peripheral edge 11o of the lower sheet 10, except for the portion where the lower sheet injection projection 13 is provided.

[0101] As mentioned above, the planar shape of the vapor chamber 1 is not limited to a rectangular shape, but may be any shape such as a circular shape, an elliptical shape, an L-shape, or a T-shape. In this case, the lower sheet retraction portions 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d may be formed along the entire circumference of the outer peripheral edge 11o of the lower sheet 10, or they may be formed at any position on the outer peripheral edge 11o of the lower sheet 10.

[0102] The dimension w6 between the longitudinal side edge 11a of the lower sheet 10 and the longitudinal side edge 32a of the wick sheet 30 in the Y direction, as shown in Figure 7, may be, for example, 10 μm to 1000 μm. The same applies to the dimension between the longitudinal side edge 11b of the lower sheet 10 and the longitudinal side edge 32b of the wick sheet 30 in the Y direction, the dimension between the short side edge 11c of the lower sheet 10 and the short side edge 32c of the wick sheet 30 in the X direction, and the dimension between the short side edge 11d of the lower sheet 10 and the short side edge 32d of the wick sheet 30 in the X direction. That is, each lower sheet retraction portion 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d may be retracted to a position at a distance of 10 μm or more and 1000 μm or less from the outer peripheral edge 32o of the wick sheet 30 in a plan view.

[0103] Furthermore, the dimension w7 between the longitudinal side edge 11a of the lower sheet 10 and the steam flow channel 50 (first steam passage 51) in the Y direction, as shown in Figure 7, may be, for example, 30 μm to 3000 μm. Here, this dimension w7 refers to the dimension on the first main body surface 31a. The same applies to the dimension between the longitudinal side edge 11b of the lower sheet 10 and the steam flow channel 50 in the Y direction, the dimension between the short side edge 11c of the lower sheet 10 and the steam flow channel 50 in the X direction, and the dimension between the short side edge 11d of the lower sheet 10 and the steam flow channel 50 in the X direction. That is, each lower sheet inlet portion 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d may be provided at a distance of 30 μm or more and 3000 μm or less from the steam flow channel 50 (first steam passage 51).

[0104] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the upper sheet 20 is formed to be smaller overall than the wick sheet 30 in a plan view. Therefore, as shown in Figures 2, 3, and 7, the outer peripheral edge 21o of the upper sheet 20 is positioned inward from the outer peripheral edge 32o of the wick sheet 30, i.e., on the side of the steam flow path 50. As a result, the upper sheet 20 is provided with upper sheet retraction portions 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d that are retracted on the side of the steam flow path 50 than the outer peripheral edge 32o of the wick sheet 30 in a plan view. Note that the upper sheet 20 may be the same size as the lower sheet 10 in a plan view, but may also be larger or smaller than the lower sheet 10.

[0105] More specifically, the longitudinal side edge 21a of the upper sheet 20 is positioned closer to the steam flow channel 50 than the longitudinal side edge 32a of the wick sheet 30, and an upper sheet retraction portion 25a is formed on the longitudinal side edge 21a of the upper sheet 20. Also, the longitudinal side edge 21b of the upper sheet 20 is positioned closer to the steam flow channel 50 than the longitudinal side edge 32b of the wick sheet 30, and an upper sheet retraction portion 25b is formed on the longitudinal side edge 21b of the upper sheet 20. Furthermore, the short side edge 21c of the upper sheet 20 is positioned closer to the steam flow channel 50 than the short side edge 32c of the wick sheet 30, and an upper sheet retraction portion 25c is formed on the short side edge 21c of the upper sheet 20. Furthermore, the short-side edge 21d of the upper sheet 20 is positioned closer to the steam flow channel 50 than the short-side edge 32d of the wick sheet 30, and an upper sheet retraction portion 25d is formed on the short-side edge 21d of the upper sheet 20. In this way, the upper sheet retraction portions 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d are formed around the entire circumference of the outer peripheral edge 21o of the upper sheet 20, except for the portion where the upper sheet injection projection 23 is provided.

[0106] As mentioned above, the planar shape of the vapor chamber 1 is not limited to a rectangular shape, but may be any shape such as a circular shape, an elliptical shape, an L-shape, or a T-shape. In this case, the upper sheet retraction portions 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d may be formed around the entire circumference of the outer peripheral edge 21o of the upper sheet 20, or they may be formed at any position on the outer peripheral edge 21o of the upper sheet 20.

[0107] The dimension w6' between the longitudinal side edge 21a of the upper sheet 20 and the longitudinal side edge 32a of the wick sheet 30 in the Y direction, as shown in Figure 7, may be, for example, 10 μm to 1000 μm. The same applies to the dimension between the longitudinal side edge 21b of the upper sheet 20 and the longitudinal side edge 32b of the wick sheet 30 in the Y direction, the dimension between the short side edge 21c of the upper sheet 20 and the short side edge 32c of the wick sheet 30 in the X direction, and the dimension between the short side edge 21d of the upper sheet 20 and the short side edge 32d of the wick sheet 30 in the X direction. That is, each upper sheet retraction portion 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d may be retracted to a position 10 μm to 1000 μm away from the outer peripheral edge 32o of the wick sheet 30 in a plan view. Note that dimension w6' may be equal to the dimension w6 mentioned above, but it may also be larger or smaller than the dimension w6 mentioned above.

[0108] Furthermore, the dimension w7' between the longitudinal side edge 21a of the upper sheet 20 and the steam flow channel 50 (first steam passage 51) in the Y direction, as shown in Figure 7, may be, for example, 30 μm to 3000 μm. Here, this dimension w7' refers to the dimension on the second main body surface 31b. The same applies to the dimension between the longitudinal side edge 21b of the upper sheet 20 and the steam flow channel 50 in the Y direction, the dimension between the short side edge 21c of the upper sheet 20 and the steam flow channel 50 in the X direction, and the dimension between the short side edge 21d of the upper sheet 20 and the steam flow channel 50 in the X direction. That is, each upper sheet inlet portion 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d may be provided at a distance of 30 μm or more and 3000 μm or less from the steam flow channel 50 (first steam passage 51). Note that dimension w7' may be equal to the dimension w7 mentioned above, but it may also be larger or smaller than the dimension w7 mentioned above.

[0109] Incidentally, the materials constituting the lower sheet 10, upper sheet 20, and wick sheet 30 are not particularly limited as long as they have good thermal conductivity, but the lower sheet 10, upper sheet 20, and wick sheet 30 may contain, for example, copper or a copper alloy. In this case, the thermal conductivity of each sheet 10, 20, and 30 can be increased, and the heat dissipation efficiency of the vapor chamber 1 can be increased.

[0110] In particular, the wick sheet 30 may be made of a material with lower strength than the material constituting the lower sheet 10 and the material constituting the upper sheet 20. In other words, the lower sheet 10 and the upper sheet 20 may be made of a material with higher strength than the material constituting the wick sheet 30. The wick sheet 30 may be made of, for example, pure copper (or oxygen-free copper, C1020, etc.) or a copper alloy (for example, phosphor bronze). If the wick sheet 30 is made of pure copper, the lower sheet 10 and the upper sheet 20 may be made of, for example, a copper alloy. The lower sheet 10 and the upper sheet 20 may be made of the same material, or they may be made of different materials.

[0111] Furthermore, the thickness t1 of the vapor chamber 1 shown in Figure 3 may be, for example, 100 μm to 1000 μm. By making the thickness t1 of the vapor chamber 1 100 μm or more, the vapor flow path 50 can be properly secured, and the vapor chamber 1 can function properly. On the other hand, by making the thickness t1 of the vapor chamber 1 1000 μm or less, it is possible to suppress the thickness t1 of the vapor chamber 1 from becoming too thick.

[0112] The thickness t2 of the lower sheet 10 shown in Figure 3 may be, for example, 6 μm to 100 μm. By setting the thickness t2 of the lower sheet 10 to 6 μm or more, the mechanical strength of the lower sheet 10 can be ensured. On the other hand, by setting the thickness t2 of the lower sheet 10 to 100 μm or less, it is possible to suppress an increase in the thickness t1 of the vapor chamber 1. Similarly, the thickness t3 of the upper sheet 20 shown in Figure 3 may be set in the same way as the thickness t2 of the lower sheet 10. The thickness t3 of the upper sheet 20 and the thickness t2 of the lower sheet 10 may be different.

[0113] The thickness t4 of the wick sheet 30 shown in Figure 3 may be, for example, 50 μm to 400 μm. By setting the thickness t4 of the wick sheet 30 to 50 μm or more, the vapor flow path 50 can be properly secured, and the vapor chamber 1 can operate properly. On the other hand, by setting the thickness t4 of the wick sheet 30 to 400 μm or less, it is possible to suppress an increase in the thickness t1 of the vapor chamber 1.

[0114] Next, a method for manufacturing the vapor chamber 1 with the above configuration will be explained using Figures 9 to 12.

[0115] Here, we will first describe the sheet preparation process for preparing each of the sheets 10, 20, and 30. This sheet preparation process includes a lower sheet preparation process for preparing the lower sheet 10, an upper sheet preparation process for preparing the upper sheet 20, and a wick sheet preparation process for preparing the wick sheet 30.

[0116] In the lower sheet preparation process, first, a lower sheet base material having the desired thickness is prepared. The lower sheet base material may be a rolled material. Next, the lower sheet 10 having the desired planar shape is formed by etching the lower sheet base material. Alternatively, the lower sheet 10 having the desired planar shape may be formed by press working the lower sheet base material. In this way, a lower sheet 10 having the outer contour shape shown in Figure 4 can be prepared. That is, a lower sheet 10 having the outer peripheral edge 11o described above can be obtained.

[0117] In the upper sheet preparation process, similar to the lower sheet preparation process, first, an upper sheet base material having the desired thickness is prepared. The upper sheet base material may be a rolled material. Next, the upper sheet 20 having the desired planar shape is formed by etching the upper sheet base material. Alternatively, the upper sheet 20 having the desired planar shape may be formed by press working the upper sheet base material. In this way, an upper sheet 20 having the outer contour shape shown in Figure 5 can be prepared. That is, an upper sheet 20 having the outer peripheral edge 21o described above can be obtained.

[0118] The wick sheet preparation process includes a material sheet preparation process for preparing a metal material sheet M, and an etching process for etching the metal material sheet M.

[0119] First, in the material sheet preparation step, a flat metal material sheet M is prepared, including a first material surface Ma and a second material surface Mb, as shown in Figure 9. The metal material sheet M may be formed from a rolled material having a desired thickness.

[0120] Next, in the etching process, as shown in Figure 10, the metal material sheet M is etched from the first material surface Ma and the second material surface Mb to form the vapor channel section 50 and the liquid channel section 60.

[0121] More specifically, a patterned resist film (not shown) is formed on the first material surface Ma and the second material surface Mb of the metal material sheet M by photolithography. Subsequently, the first material surface Ma and the second material surface Mb of the metal material sheet M are etched through the openings in the patterned resist film. As a result, the first material surface Ma and the second material surface Mb of the metal material sheet M are etched in a patterned manner, forming a vapor channel section 50 and a liquid channel section 60 as shown in Figure 10. For the etching solution, for example, an iron chloride-based etching solution such as an aqueous solution of ferric chloride, or a copper chloride-based etching solution such as an aqueous solution of copper chloride can be used.

[0122] Etching may be performed simultaneously on the first material surface Ma and the second material surface Mb of the metal material sheet M. However, it is not limited to this, and the etching of the first material surface Ma and the second material surface Mb may be performed as separate processes. Furthermore, the vapor flow channel section 50 and the liquid flow channel section 60 may be formed by etching simultaneously or in separate processes.

[0123] Furthermore, in the etching process, a predetermined outer contour shape as shown in Figure 6 can be obtained by etching the first material surface Ma and the second material surface Mb of the metal material sheet M. That is, a wick sheet 30 having the aforementioned outer peripheral edge 32o can be obtained.

[0124] In this way, the lower sheet 10, upper sheet 20, and wick sheet 30 according to this embodiment are obtained.

[0125] After the preparation process, the lower sheet 10, the upper sheet 20, and the wick sheet 30 are joined together as a joining process, as shown in Figure 11.

[0126] More specifically, the lower sheet 10, the wick sheet 30, and the upper sheet 20 are first stacked in this order. In this case, the first main surface 31a of the wick sheet 30 is superimposed on the second lower sheet surface 10b of the lower sheet 10, and the first upper sheet surface 20a of the upper sheet 20 is superimposed on the second main surface 31b of the wick sheet 30. At this time, the alignment holes 12 of the lower sheet 10, the alignment holes 35 of the wick sheet 30, and the alignment holes 22 of the upper sheet 20 may be used to align each sheet 10, 20, and 30.

[0127] Next, the lower sheet 10, the wick sheet 30, and the upper sheet 20 are tack-fastened. For example, these sheets 10, 20, and 30 may be tack-fastened by spot resistance welding, or they may be tack-fastened by laser welding.

[0128] Next, the lower sheet 10, the wick sheet 30, and the upper sheet 20 are permanently joined by thermocompression bonding. For example, these sheets 10, 20, and 30 may be permanently joined by diffusion bonding. Diffusion bonding is a method of joining by bringing the lower sheet 10 and the wick sheet 30 to be joined into close contact, and the wick sheet 30 and the upper sheet 20 into close contact, and then applying pressure and heating in the stacking direction in a controlled atmosphere such as a vacuum or in an inert gas, utilizing the diffusion of atoms that occurs at the joining surface. In diffusion bonding, the materials of each sheet 10, 20, and 30 are heated to a temperature close to their melting point, but lower than the melting point, so that the sheets 10, 20, and 30 do not melt and deform. As a result, the first main body surface 31a of the frame portion 32 and each land portion 33 of the wick sheet 30 are diffusion-bonded to the second lower sheet surface 10b of the lower sheet 10. Furthermore, the second main body surface 31b of the frame portion 32 and each land portion 33 of the wick sheet 30 is diffusion-bonded to the first upper sheet surface 20a of the upper sheet 20. In this way, the sheets 10, 20, and 30 are diffusion-bonded, and a sealed space 3 having a steam flow path portion 50 and a liquid flow path portion 60 is formed between the lower sheet 10 and the upper sheet 20. At this stage, the injection flow path 37 described above is not sealed in the sealed space 3, and it is in communication with the outside via the injection flow path 37.

[0129] Following the joining process, the working fluid 2b is injected into the sealed space 3 from the injection channel 37 of the injection section 4 as an injection process.

[0130] After the injection process, the injection channel 37 is sealed as a sealing process. For example, the injection section 4 may be partially melted to seal the injection channel 37. This blocks communication between the sealed space 3 and the outside, and the sealed space 3 is sealed. As a result, a sealed space 3 containing the working fluid 2b is obtained, and leakage of the working fluid 2b from the sealed space 3 to the outside is prevented. After sealing the injection channel 37, the injection section 4 may be removed. The entire injection section 4 may be removed. Alternatively, a part of the injection section 4 may be removed, leaving the remaining part intact.

[0131] As described above, the vapor chamber 1 according to this embodiment is obtained.

[0132] In this way, the vapor chambers 1 according to this embodiment can be manufactured sequentially. The manufactured vapor chambers 1 can be stored by stacking them on a mounting surface 70 provided in a predetermined location, as shown in Figure 12. Subsequently, the vapor chambers 1 are removed from this mounting location and transported when shipping or when mounting them to device D.

[0133] Next, the method for transporting the vapor chamber 1 manufactured in this manner will be explained using Figures 13 and 14. Here, we will describe a method for removing and transporting the vapor chamber 1 from a state in which the vapor chambers 1 are stacked on top of each other, as shown in Figure 12.

[0134] First, as shown in Figure 13, the claws 82a and 82b of the first arm portion 81a and the second arm portion 81b of the suspension device 80 are inserted into the lower sheet retraction portions 15a and 15b of the lower sheet 10, respectively.

[0135] More specifically, first, the first arm portion 81a is moved vertically so that the first claw portion 82a, located at the tip of the first arm portion 81a, is positioned in the same position in the Z-direction as the lower sheet retraction portion 15a of the vapor chamber 1, which is mounted at the top. Next, the second arm portion 81b is moved vertically so that the second claw portion 82b, located at the tip of the second arm portion 81b, is positioned in the same position in the Z-direction as the lower sheet retraction portion 15b of the vapor chamber 1. Subsequently, the first arm portion 81a is moved horizontally so that the first claw portion 82a is inserted into the lower sheet retraction portion 15a. Similarly, the second arm portion 81b is moved horizontally so that the second claw portion 82b is inserted into the lower sheet retraction portion 15b. This allows the first claw portion 82a and the second claw portion 82b to contact the first main body surface 31a of the wick sheet 30, respectively.

[0136] Next, as shown in Figure 14, the vapor chamber 1 is suspended by the suspension device 80.

[0137] More specifically, with the first claw portion 82a and the second claw portion 82b in contact with the first main body surface 31a of the wick sheet 30, the first arm portion 81a and the second arm portion 81b are moved upward, respectively. As a result, the first main body surface 31a of the wick sheet 30 is supported by the first claw portion 82a and the second claw portion 82b, and the vapor chamber 1 is suspended by the suspension device 80.

[0138] Then, with the vapor chamber 1 suspended by the suspension device 80, the first arm portion 81a and the second arm portion 81b are moved horizontally to transport the vapor chamber 1 to the desired target position.

[0139] In this way, the vapor chamber 1 according to this embodiment can be transported by the suspension device 80.

[0140] In this description, we have explained a method for removing and transporting the vapor chambers 1 from a state where they are stacked on top of each other. However, this is not the only method; even when the vapor chambers 1 are placed directly on the mounting surface 70, the vapor chambers 1 can be transported using the suspension device 80.

[0141] Here, we will describe a general method for transporting a vapor chamber 1'. As shown in Figure 15, the sides of a typical vapor chamber 1' are formed vertically, and unlike the vapor chamber 1 in this embodiment, the lower sheet 10 does not have lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d. For this reason, the claws 82a and 82b of the suspension device 80 cannot be inserted into the lower sheet retraction sections 15a and 15b, making it difficult to transport a typical vapor chamber 1' using the suspension device 80 described above.

[0142] A typical vapor chamber 1' can be removed and transported by a suction device 85, as shown in Figure 15. More specifically, the suction device 85 has a suction pad 86 that generates suction force by creating negative pressure inside, and this suction pad 86 is pressed against the upper surface of the vapor chamber 1' to cause it to adhere to the vapor chamber 1'. Then, with the vapor chamber 1' held in place by the suction pad 86, the suction device 85 is moved upward to suspend the vapor chamber 1'. Finally, the suction device 85 is moved horizontally to transport the vapor chamber 1' to the desired target position.

[0143] In this case, if the vapor chamber 1' is thinned, the suction force from the suction pad 86 acting on the upper surface of the vapor chamber 1' may cause deformation of the vapor chamber 1'. For this reason, in order to suppress deformation of the vapor chamber 1', the thinning of the vapor chamber 1' may be restricted.

[0144] In contrast, in this embodiment, the lower sheet 10 of the vapor chamber 1 is provided with lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d. This allows the claws 82a and 82b of the suspension device 80 to be inserted into the lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d of the placed vapor chamber 1. As a result, the vapor chamber 1 can be suspended and transported by the suspension device 80, eliminating the need to use the suction device 85 described above. This suppresses deformation of the vapor chamber 1'. As a result, further thinning of the vapor chamber 1' can be achieved.

[0145] The transport of the vapor chamber 1 using the suspension device 80 described above is just one example, and the vapor chamber 1 can be transported using any other device. For example, the vapor chamber 1 may be transported using a tool with a pointed tip. More specifically, the tip of the tool may be inserted into the lower sheet retraction section 15a, and then the tool may be moved upward to lift the vapor chamber 1. The lifted vapor chamber 1 may then be grasped by hand and transported. Alternatively, for example, without using such a device or tool, the vapor chamber 1 may be lifted by inserting a finger into the lower sheet retraction section 15a, and then the vapor chamber 1 may be grasped by hand and transported. Even in such cases, the lower sheet 10 is provided with lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d, making it easy to remove and transport the vapor chamber 1.

[0146] Next, we will explain how the vapor chamber 1 operates, that is, how device D is cooled.

[0147] As described above, the vapor chamber 1, having been transported, is installed inside a housing H of a mobile terminal or the like at the destination, with the housing member Ha and the second upper sheet surface 20b of the upper sheet 20 in contact. Furthermore, a device D, such as a CPU, which is the device to be cooled, is attached to the first lower sheet surface 10a of the lower sheet 10 (or the vapor chamber 1 is attached to the device D), with the first lower sheet surface 10a of the lower sheet 10 and the device D in contact. The working fluid 2b in the sealed space 3 adheres to the walls of the sealed space 3 due to its surface tension, namely the wall surface 53a of the lower vapor flow recess 53, the wall surface 54a of the upper vapor flow recess 54, the wall surface 62 of the main liquid flow channel groove 61 of the liquid flow channel section 60, and the wall surface of the liquid flow channel connecting groove 65. The working fluid 2b may also adhere to the portion of the second lower sheet surface 10b of the lower sheet 10 that is exposed to the lower vapor flow recess 53, the main liquid flow channel groove 61, and the liquid flow channel connecting groove 65. Furthermore, the working fluid 2b may also adhere to the portion of the first upper sheet surface 20a of the upper sheet 20 that is exposed to the upper vapor flow channel recess 54.

[0148] When device D generates heat in this state, the working fluid 2b present in the evaporation region SR (see Figure 6) receives heat from device D. The received heat is absorbed as latent heat, causing the working fluid 2b to evaporate (vaporize) and generate working steam 2a. Much of the generated working steam 2a diffuses within the lower steam flow channel recess 53 and the upper steam flow channel recess 54 that constitute the sealed space 3 (see solid arrows in Figure 6). The working steam 2a in each steam flow channel recess 53 and 54 leaves the evaporation region SR, and much of the working steam 2a is transported to the relatively lower temperature condensation region CR (the right-hand portion in Figure 6). In the condensation region CR, the working steam 2a is cooled mainly by radiating heat to the upper sheet 20. The heat received by the upper sheet 20 from the working steam 2a is transferred to the outside air via the housing member Ha (see Figure 3).

[0149] The working steam 2a condenses in the evaporation region SR by releasing heat to the upper sheet 20 in the condensation region CR, losing the latent heat absorbed in the evaporation region SR, and generating working fluid 2b. The generated working fluid 2b adheres to the walls 53a, 54a of the steam flow channel recesses 53, 54, the second lower sheet surface 10b of the lower sheet 10, and the first upper sheet surface 20a of the upper sheet 20. Here, since the working fluid 2b continues to evaporate in the evaporation region SR, the working fluid 2b in the region of the liquid flow channel section 60 other than the evaporation region SR (i.e., the condensation region CR) is transported toward the evaporation region SR by the capillary action of the main liquid flow channel grooves 61 (see dashed arrows in Figure 6). As a result, the working fluid 2b adhering to the walls 53a, 54a, the second lower sheet surface 10b, and the first upper sheet surface 20a moves to the liquid flow channel section 60, passes through the liquid flow channel connecting groove 65, and enters the main liquid flow channel groove 61. In this way, the working fluid 2b is filled into each main channel groove 61 and each connecting channel groove 65. As a result, the filled working fluid 2b gains a propulsive force toward the evaporation region SR due to the capillary action of each main channel groove 61 and is smoothly transported toward the evaporation region SR.

[0150] In the liquid flow channel section 60, each liquid flow channel main channel groove 61 is connected to an adjacent liquid flow channel main channel groove 61 via a corresponding liquid flow channel connecting groove 65. As a result, the working fluid 2b flows back and forth between adjacent liquid flow channel main channel grooves 61, suppressing the occurrence of dryout in the liquid flow channel main channel grooves 61. Therefore, capillary action is imparted to the working fluid 2b in each liquid flow channel main channel groove 61, and the working fluid 2b is smoothly transported toward the evaporation region SR.

[0151] The working fluid 2b, having reached the evaporation region SR, receives heat again from the device D and evaporates. The working vapor 2a evaporated from the working fluid 2b moves through the liquid flow channel connecting groove 65 in the evaporation region SR to the lower vapor flow channel recess 53 and the upper vapor flow channel recess 54, which have larger flow channel cross-sectional areas, and diffuses within each vapor flow channel recess 53 and 54. In this way, the working fluids 2a and 2b recirculate within the sealed space 3 while repeatedly undergoing phase changes, i.e., evaporation and condensation, transporting and releasing heat from the device D. As a result, the device D is cooled.

[0152] As described above, according to this embodiment, the lower sheet 10 is provided with lower sheet retraction portions 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d that, in a plan view, are retracted towards the steam flow path 50 side of the outer peripheral edge 32o of the wick sheet 30. This allows the claw portions 82a, 82b, etc. of the suspension device 80 to be inserted into the lower sheet retraction portions 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d of the placed vapor chamber 1. As a result, the vapor chamber 1 can be easily lifted, and the transport of the vapor chamber 1 can be facilitated. Consequently, the transportability of the vapor chamber 1 can be improved.

[0153] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to eliminate the need to use the suction device 85 for transporting the vapor chamber 1. Therefore, deformation of the vapor chamber 1 can be suppressed. As a result, further thinning of the vapor chamber 1 can be achieved.

[0154] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since the lower sheet 10 is provided with lower sheet retraction portions 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d, it is possible to prevent the end of the lower sheet 10 from coming into contact with other parts and damaging them during the manufacturing or use of the vapor chamber 1. In addition, it is possible to prevent the lower sheet 10 from peeling off from the wick sheet 30 due to the end of the lower sheet 10 coming into contact with other parts, and to prevent leakage of the working fluid 2b in the sealed space 3. As a result, the safety of the vapor chamber 1 can be improved.

[0155] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d are provided on a pair of longitudinal side edges 11a, 11b and a pair of transverse side edges 11c, 11d of the lower sheet 10, respectively. This allows the claws 82a, 82b, etc., of the suspension device 80 to be inserted into any of the lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b, 15c, or 15d from any direction in a plan view of the placed vapor chamber 1, thereby lifting the vapor chamber 1. This makes lifting the vapor chamber 1 even easier. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 1 can be further improved.

[0156] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the lower sheet retraction portions 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d are retracted to a position 10 μm to 1000 μm away from the outer peripheral edge 32o of the wick sheet 30 in a plan view. Because the lower sheet retraction portions 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d are retracted by 10 μm or more, the claw portions 82a, 82b, etc. of the suspension device 80 can firmly support the first main body surface 31a of the wick sheet 30. This makes it easier to lift the vapor chamber 1. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 1 can be further improved. In addition, because the lower sheet retraction portions 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d are retracted by 1000 μm or less, the area of ​​the vapor chamber 1 can be effectively utilized. That is, the vapor flow path 50 and the liquid flow path 60 can be provided in a wider area of ​​the vapor chamber 1, improving the performance of the vapor chamber 1.

[0157] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d are located at a distance of 30 μm or more from the steam flow path section 50 in a plan view. By having a distance of 30 μm or more between the steam flow path section 50 and the lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d, the first main body surface 31a and the second lower sheet surface 10b can be firmly joined during the joining process in the manufacturing of the vapor chamber 1. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the strength of the vapor chamber 1.

[0158] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the vapor passage section 50 penetrates from the first main body surface 31a to the second main body surface 31b, and the upper sheet 20 covers the vapor passage section 50 on the second main body surface 31b. By configuring the vapor chamber 1 in this way with the lower sheet 10, the upper sheet 20, and the wick sheet 30, the heat received by the lower sheet 10 from the device D can be released from the upper sheet 20. This allows the device D to be cooled effectively. Therefore, the performance of the vapor chamber 1 can be improved.

[0159] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the upper sheet 20 is provided with upper sheet retraction portions 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d that, in a plan view, are retracted towards the steam flow path 50 side than the outer peripheral edge 32o of the wick sheet 30. This makes it easier to insert the claws 82a, 82b of the suspension device 80 into the lower sheet retraction portions 15a, 15b when the vapor chambers 1 are stacked on top of each other. That is, as shown in Figure 13, when each vapor chamber 1 is provided with upper sheet retraction portions 25a, 25b, the lower sheet retraction portions 15a, 15b of the uppermost vapor chamber 1 and the upper sheet retraction portions 25a, 25b of the vapor chamber 1 located below it together provide a wider space for the claws 82a, 82b of the suspension device 80 to enter. As a result, it is possible to further facilitate lifting the vapor chambers 1 and further improve the transportability of the vapor chambers 1. Furthermore, this allows, for example, the thickness t2 of the lower sheet 10 to be thinner than the thickness (dimension in the Z direction) of the claw portions 82a and 82b of the suspension device 80. As a result, further thinning of the vapor chamber 1 can be achieved.

[0160] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since the upper sheet 20 is provided with upper sheet retraction portions 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d, it is possible to prevent the end of the upper sheet 20 from coming into contact with other parts and damaging them during the manufacturing or use of the vapor chamber 1. In addition, it is possible to prevent the upper sheet 20 from peeling off from the wick sheet 30 due to the end of the upper sheet 20 coming into contact with other parts and causing leakage of the working fluid 2b in the sealed space 3. As a result, the safety of the vapor chamber 1 can be improved.

[0161] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the wick sheet 30 is made of a material with lower strength than the material constituting the lower sheet 10 and the material constituting the upper sheet 20. As described above, in this embodiment, the lower sheet 10 is provided with lower sheet retraction portions 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d, and the upper sheet 20 is provided with upper sheet retraction portions 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d. As a result, when the vapor chamber 1 is installed in the housing H of a mobile terminal or the like, even if the vapor chamber 1 accidentally comes into contact with the housing H, it is possible to avoid the lower sheet 10 and upper sheet 20, which have relatively high strength, coming into contact with the housing H. In other words, the wick sheet 30, which has relatively low strength, will come into contact with the housing H. Therefore, damage to the housing H can be suppressed, and foreign matter falling into the housing H due to damage to the housing H can be suppressed. Damage to the vapor chamber 1 can also be suppressed, and foreign matter falling into the housing H due to damage to the vapor chamber 1 can also be suppressed.

[0162] (First modified example of the first embodiment) In the first embodiment described above, an example was described in which the lower sheet retraction portions 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d are provided on a pair of longitudinal side edges 11a, 11b and a pair of transverse side edges 11c, 11d of the lower sheet 10, respectively (see Figure 2). However, the invention is not limited to this, and the lower sheet retraction portions 15a and 15b may be provided on at least one of the pair of longitudinal side edges 11a and 11b of the lower sheet 10.

[0163] In the examples shown in Figures 16 and 17, a lower sheet retraction section 15a is provided on the longitudinal side edge 11a (lower side in Figure 16) of the lower sheet 10. Similarly, an upper sheet retraction section 25a is provided on the longitudinal side edge 21a (lower side in Figure 16) of the upper sheet 20.

[0164] Even in such cases, a predetermined device, tool, or finger can be inserted into the lower sheet retraction section 15a, making it easier to lift the vapor chamber 1. This improves the transportability of the vapor chamber 1. Furthermore, by limiting the area in which the lower sheet retraction section 15a is provided, the area of ​​the vapor chamber 1 can be effectively utilized. In other words, the vapor flow path section 50 and the liquid flow path section 60 can be provided in a wider area of ​​the vapor chamber 1, improving the performance of the vapor chamber 1.

[0165] (Second modified example of the first embodiment) Furthermore, the lower sheet retraction portions 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d may be provided on one of the pair of longitudinal side edges 11a and 11b of the lower sheet 10, as well as on one of the pair of transverse side edges 11c and 11d of the lower sheet 10.

[0166] In the example shown in Figure 18, a lower sheet retraction section 15a is provided on the longitudinal side edge 11a (lower side in Figure 18) of the lower sheet 10, and a lower sheet retraction section 15c is provided on the short side edge 11c (left side in Figure 18) of the lower sheet 10. Similarly, for the upper sheet 20, an upper sheet retraction section 25a is provided on the longitudinal side edge 21a (lower side in Figure 18) of the upper sheet 20, and an upper sheet retraction section 25c is provided on the short side edge 21c (left side in Figure 18) of the upper sheet 20.

[0167] Even in such cases, predetermined devices, tools, fingers, etc., can be inserted into the lower sheet retraction sections 15a and 15c, making it easier to lift the vapor chamber 1. This improves the transportability of the vapor chamber 1. Furthermore, by limiting the area in which the lower sheet retraction sections 15a and 15c are provided, the area of ​​the vapor chamber 1 can be used more effectively. In other words, the vapor flow path section 50 and the liquid flow path section 60 can be provided in a wider area of ​​the vapor chamber 1, improving the performance of the vapor chamber 1.

[0168] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 18, the sides of the vapor chamber 1 with the lower sheet retraction sections 15a and 15c, specifically the longitudinal side edge 11a and the short side edge 11c, can be lifted and transported, allowing the sides of the vapor chamber 1 without the lower sheet retraction sections 15a and 15c, specifically the longitudinal side edge 11b and the short side edge 11d, to abut against a predetermined wall surface. This makes it easier to position the vapor chamber 1 relative to the wall surface. For example, when printing manufacturing information, etc., by irradiating a laser beam at a predetermined position on the vapor chamber 1, it becomes possible to print at an accurate position. Also, even after the vapor chamber 1 is abutted against the wall surface, the sides of the vapor chamber 1 with the longitudinal side edge 11a and the short side edge 11c can be easily lifted. This improves the transportability of the vapor chamber 1.

[0169] (Third modified example of the first embodiment) Furthermore, the lower sheet retraction portions 15a and 15b may be provided on both of the pair of longitudinal side edges 11a and 11b of the lower sheet 10, respectively. In addition, the lower sheet retraction portions 15a and 15b may be provided on a part of the pair of longitudinal side edges 11a and 11b of the lower sheet 10.

[0170] In the example shown in Figure 19, the lower sheet retraction sections 15a and 15b are provided on both of the pair of longitudinal side edges 11a and 11b of the lower sheet 10, and each lower sheet retraction section 15a and 15b is provided on a part of the longitudinal side edges 11a and 11b. Similarly, for the upper sheet 20, the upper sheet retraction sections 25a and 25b are provided on both of the pair of longitudinal side edges 21a and 21b of the upper sheet 20, and each upper sheet retraction section 25a and 25b is provided on a part of the longitudinal side edges 21a and 21b. Each lower sheet retraction section 15a and 15b may be provided in the center of the longitudinal side edges 11a and 11b. Also, each upper sheet retraction section 25a and 25b may be provided in the center of the longitudinal side edges 11a and 11b.

[0171] In this case, the lower sheet retraction section 15a and the lower sheet retraction section 15b may be positioned symmetrically with respect to the center of gravity of the vapor chamber 1 in a plan view. Alternatively, the upper sheet retraction section 25a may be positioned in a position that overlaps with the lower sheet retraction section 15a in a plan view, and the upper sheet retraction section 25b may be positioned in a position that overlaps with the lower sheet retraction section 15b in a plan view.

[0172] Even in such cases, the claws 82a, 82b of the suspension device 80 can be inserted into the lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b, making it easier to lift the vapor chamber 1. This improves the transportability of the vapor chamber 1. Furthermore, by further restricting the area where the lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b are provided, the area of ​​the vapor chamber 1 can be utilized more effectively. In other words, the vapor flow path section 50 and the liquid flow path section 60 can be provided in a wider area of ​​the vapor chamber 1, further improving the performance of the vapor chamber 1.

[0173] Furthermore, the lower sheet retraction section 15a and the lower sheet retraction section 15b are positioned symmetrically with respect to the center of gravity of the vapor chamber 1 in a plan view, thereby stabilizing the posture of the vapor chamber 1 when it is suspended by the suspension device 80 or the like. This makes it easier to transport the vapor chamber 1. In addition, the upper sheet retraction sections 25a and 25b are positioned to overlap with the lower sheet retraction sections 15a and 15b in a plan view, which makes it easier to insert the claws 82a and 82b of the suspension device 80 into the lower sheet retraction sections 15a and 15b when the vapor chambers 1 are stacked on top of each other.

[0174] (Fourth modification of the first embodiment) Furthermore, the lower sheet retraction sections 15a and 15b may be provided at the corners of the lower sheet 10.

[0175] In the example shown in Figure 20, a lower sheet retraction section 15a is provided at the corners of the longitudinal side edge 11a and the short side edge 11d of the lower sheet 10 (lower right side in Figure 20). Additionally, a lower sheet retraction section 15b is provided at the corners of the longitudinal side edge 11b and the short side edge 11c of the lower sheet 10 (upper left side in Figure 20). Similarly, for the upper sheet 20, an upper sheet retraction section 25a is provided at the corners of the longitudinal side edge 21a and the short side edge 21d of the upper sheet 20 (lower right side in Figure 20). Additionally, an upper sheet retraction section 25b is provided at the corners of the longitudinal side edge 21b and the short side edge 21c of the upper sheet 20 (upper left side in Figure 20).

[0176] In this case, the lower sheet retraction section 15a and the lower sheet retraction section 15b may be positioned symmetrically with respect to the center of gravity of the vapor chamber 1 in a plan view. Alternatively, the upper sheet retraction section 25a may be positioned in a position that overlaps with the lower sheet retraction section 15a in a plan view, and the upper sheet retraction section 25b may be positioned in a position that overlaps with the lower sheet retraction section 15b in a plan view.

[0177] Even in such cases, the claws 82a, 82b of the suspension device 80 can be inserted into the lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b, making it easier to lift the vapor chamber 1. This improves the transportability of the vapor chamber 1. Furthermore, by further restricting the area where the lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b are provided, the area of ​​the vapor chamber 1 can be utilized more effectively. In other words, the vapor flow path section 50 and the liquid flow path section 60 can be provided in a wider area of ​​the vapor chamber 1, further improving the performance of the vapor chamber 1.

[0178] Furthermore, the lower sheet retraction section 15a and the lower sheet retraction section 15b are positioned symmetrically with respect to the center of gravity of the vapor chamber 1 in a plan view, thereby stabilizing the posture of the vapor chamber 1 when it is suspended by the suspension device 80 or the like. This makes it easier to transport the vapor chamber 1. In addition, the upper sheet retraction sections 25a and 25b are positioned to overlap with the lower sheet retraction sections 15a and 15b in a plan view, which makes it easier to insert the claws 82a and 82b of the suspension device 80 into the lower sheet retraction sections 15a and 15b when the vapor chambers 1 are stacked on top of each other.

[0179] (Fifth modified example of the first embodiment) Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, an example was described in which the lower sheet 10 is provided with lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d, and the upper sheet 20 is provided with upper sheet retraction sections 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d (see Figure 3). However, the invention is not limited to this, and the lower sheet 10 does not need to be provided with lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d. Alternatively, the upper sheet 20 does not need to be provided with upper sheet retraction sections 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d.

[0180] In the example shown in Figure 21, the lower sheet 10 is provided with lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d, while the upper sheet 20 is not provided with upper sheet retraction sections 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d.

[0181] Even in such cases, predetermined devices, tools, fingers, etc. can be inserted into the lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d, making it easier to lift the vapor chamber 1. This improves the transportability of the vapor chamber 1.

[0182] Furthermore, while the upper sheet 20 is provided with upper sheet retraction sections 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d, the lower sheet 10 does not necessarily need to be provided with lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d.

[0183] In this case, with the vapor chamber 1 placed in the opposite direction, that is, with the second upper sheet surface 20b of the upper sheet 20 facing the mounting surface 70, the vapor chamber 1 can be easily lifted by inserting a predetermined device, tool, or finger into the upper sheet retraction sections 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d. This improves the transportability of the vapor chamber 1.

[0184] (Sixth modified example of the first embodiment) Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, an example was described in which no liquid flow path section 60 is provided between the lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d and the steam flow path section 50 (see Figure 3). However, the invention is not limited to this, and a liquid flow path section 60 may be provided between the lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d and the steam flow path section 50.

[0185] In the example shown in Figure 22, a liquid flow channel 60 is provided between the lower sheet inlet sections 15a and 15b and the steam flow channel section 50. Specifically, a liquid flow channel 60 is provided between the longitudinal side edge 11a of the lower sheet 10 and the first steam passage 51, and a liquid flow channel 60 is provided between the longitudinal side edge 11b of the lower sheet 10 and the first steam passage 51.

[0186] In this case, the dimension w8 between the longitudinal side edge 11a of the lower sheet 10 and the liquid flow channel 60 in the Y direction shown in Figure 22 may be, for example, 30 μm to 3000 μm. Here, this dimension w8 refers to the dimension on the first main body surface 31a. The same applies to the dimension between the longitudinal side edge 11b of the lower sheet 10 and the liquid flow channel 60 in the Y direction. That is, the lower sheet retraction portions 15a and 15b may be provided at a distance of 30 μm or more and 3000 μm or less from the liquid flow channel 60.

[0187] Even in such cases, predetermined devices, tools, fingers, etc. can be inserted into the lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d, making it easier to lift the vapor chamber 1. This improves the transportability of the vapor chamber 1.

[0188] Furthermore, because the distance between the liquid flow channel section 60 and the lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d is 30 μm or more, the first main body surface 31a and the second lower sheet surface 10b can be firmly joined during the joining process in the manufacturing of the vapor chamber 1. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the strength of the vapor chamber 1.

[0189] (Seventh modified example of the first embodiment) Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, an example was described in which the vapor chamber 1 is provided with one wick sheet 30. However, the vapor chamber 1 is not limited to this, and may be provided with multiple wick sheets 30.

[0190] In the example shown in Figure 23, the vapor chamber 1 is equipped with three wick sheets 30. Each wick sheet 30 is located between the lower sheet 10 and the upper sheet 20. In plan view, each wick sheet 30 is generally larger than the lower sheet 10 and the upper sheet 20. In other words, in plan view, the lower sheet 10 and the upper sheet 20 are generally smaller than each wick sheet 30. For this reason, the lower sheet 10 is provided with lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d. Similarly, the upper sheet 20 is provided with upper sheet retraction sections 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d.

[0191] Even in such cases, a predetermined device, tool, or finger can be inserted into the lower sheet retraction section 15a, making it easier to lift the vapor chamber 1. This improves the transportability of the vapor chamber 1.

[0192] In the example shown in Figure 23, each wick sheet 30 has the same shape and dimensions, but this is not limited to this, and each wick sheet 30 may have different shapes and dimensions. For example, although not shown, one wick sheet 30 may be formed to be smaller overall than the other wick sheets 30 in a plan view. Also, that one wick sheet 30 may be formed to be smaller overall than the lower sheet 10 and the upper sheet 20 in a plan view.

[0193] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 23, the vapor chamber 1 is equipped with three wick sheets 30, but it is not limited to this, and the number of wick sheets 30 is arbitrary. The vapor chamber 1 may be equipped with two wick sheets 30, or it may be equipped with four or more wick sheets 30.

[0194] (Eighth variation of the first embodiment) Furthermore, the vapor chamber 1 may have a through hole 90.

[0195] In the examples shown in Figures 24 and 25, the vapor chamber 1 has through holes 90 that penetrate the lower sheet 10, the wick sheet 30, and the upper sheet 20.

[0196] The through-hole 90 has a lower sheet penetration portion 91 that penetrates from the first lower sheet surface 10a to the second lower sheet surface 10b, a wick sheet penetration portion 92 that penetrates from the first main body surface 31a to the second main body surface 31b, and an upper sheet penetration portion 93 that penetrates from the first upper sheet surface 20a to the second upper sheet surface 20b. That is, the lower sheet penetration portion 91 penetrates the lower sheet 10, the wick sheet penetration portion 92 penetrates the wick sheet 30, and the upper sheet penetration portion 93 penetrates the upper sheet 20. A wall portion 94 is formed around the wick sheet penetration portion 92, and the steam flow path portion 50 and the liquid flow path portion 60 are not in communication with the through-hole 90. In the example shown in Figure 24, an evaporation region SR is provided in the central part of the vapor chamber 1 in the X direction, and condensation regions CR are provided on one side and the other side of the vapor chamber 1 in the X direction (left and right sides in Figure 24).

[0197] The lower sheet penetration portion 91 may be formed by etching the lower sheet base material in the lower sheet preparation process described above. Alternatively, it may be formed by press working the lower sheet base material. The upper sheet penetration portion 93 may be formed by etching the upper sheet base material in the upper sheet preparation process described above. Alternatively, it may be formed by press working the upper sheet base material. The wick sheet penetration portion 92 may be formed by etching the metal material sheet M in the etching process of the wick sheet preparation process described above. In Figure 25, the cross-sectional shape of the wick sheet penetration portion 92 is rectangular, but it may have a shape in which a lower recess formed concavely on the first main body surface 31a and an upper recess formed concavely on the second main body surface 31b are in communication, as with the first steam passage 51 and the second steam passage 52 described above. The same applies to the lower sheet penetration portion 91 and the upper sheet penetration portion 93.

[0198] In the examples shown in Figures 24 and 25, in a plan view, the inner periphery 10i defining the lower sheet penetration portion 91 of the lower sheet 10 is located outside the inner periphery 31i defining the wick sheet penetration portion 92 of the wick sheet 30, i.e., on the opposite side of the through hole 90. As a result, the lower sheet 10 is provided with a lower sheet retraction portion 15i that, in a plan view, is retracted on the opposite side of the through hole 90 from the inner periphery 31i defining the through hole 90 of the wick sheet 30.

[0199] The dimension w9 between the inner edge 10i of the lower sheet 10 and the inner edge 31i of the wick sheet 30 in the Y direction, as shown in Figure 25, may be, for example, 10 μm to 1000 μm. That is, the lower sheet retraction portion 15i may be retracted to a position that is 10 μm or more and 1000 μm or less away from the inner edge 31i of the wick sheet 30 in a plan view.

[0200] Furthermore, the dimension w10 between the inner periphery 10i of the lower sheet 10 and the liquid flow channel 60 in the Y direction shown in Figure 25 may be, for example, 30 μm to 3000 μm. Here, this dimension w10 refers to the dimension on the first main body surface 31a. That is, the lower sheet retraction portion 15i may be provided at a position 30 μm to 3000 μm away from the liquid flow channel 60. Note that if a steam flow channel 50 is provided between the inner periphery 10i of the lower sheet 10 and the liquid flow channel 60, the dimension between the inner periphery 10i of the lower sheet 10 and the steam flow channel 50 in the Y direction may be 30 μm to 3000 μm.

[0201] Furthermore, in the examples shown in Figures 24 and 25, in a plan view, the inner peripheral edge 20i defining the upper sheet penetration portion 93 of the upper sheet 20 is located outside the inner peripheral edge 31i defining the wick sheet penetration portion 92 of the wick sheet 30, i.e., on the opposite side from the through hole 90. As a result, the upper sheet 20 is provided with an upper sheet retraction portion 25i that, in a plan view, is retracted on the opposite side from the through hole 90 than the inner peripheral edge 31i defining the through hole 90 of the wick sheet 30.

[0202] The dimension w9' between the inner edge 20i of the upper sheet 20 and the inner edge 31i of the wick sheet 30 in the Y direction, as shown in Figure 25, may be, for example, 10 μm to 1000 μm. That is, the upper sheet retraction portion 25i may be retracted to a position that is 10 μm or more and 1000 μm or less away from the inner edge 31i of the wick sheet 30 in a plan view. Note that dimension w9' may be equal to the dimension w9 described above, but may also be larger or smaller than the dimension w9 described above.

[0203] Even in such cases, as shown in Figure 26, the first arm portion 81a and the second arm portion 81b of the suspension device 80 can be inserted into the lower sheet retraction portion 15i of the lower sheet 10, making it easier to lift the vapor chamber 1. This improves the transportability of the vapor chamber 1.

[0204] Furthermore, because the lower sheet retraction section 15i is retracted by 10 μm or more, the claws 82a, 82b, etc. of the suspension device 80 can firmly support the first main body surface 31a of the wick sheet 30. This makes it even easier to lift the vapor chamber 1. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 1 can be further improved. In addition, because the lower sheet retraction section 15i is retracted by 1000 μm or less, the area of ​​the vapor chamber 1 can be effectively utilized. That is, the vapor flow path section 50 and the liquid flow path section 60 can be provided in a wider area of ​​the vapor chamber 1, improving the performance of the vapor chamber 1.

[0205] Furthermore, because the distance between the steam flow path section 50 and the lower sheet inlet section 15i is 30 μm or more, the first main body surface 31a and the second lower sheet surface 10b can be firmly joined during the joining process in the manufacturing of the vapor chamber 1. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the strength of the vapor chamber 1.

[0206] Furthermore, by configuring the vapor chamber 1 with a lower sheet 10, an upper sheet 20, and a wick sheet 30, the heat absorbed by the device D by the lower sheet 10 can be released through the upper sheet 20. This allows for effective cooling of the device D. As a result, the performance of the vapor chamber 1 can be improved.

[0207] Furthermore, the upper sheet 20 is provided with an upper sheet retraction portion 25i that, in a plan view, is retracted on the opposite side of the through hole 90 from the inner peripheral edge 31i of the wick sheet 30. This makes it easier to insert the claws 82a, 82b, etc. of the suspension device 80 into the lower sheet retraction portion 15i when the vapor chambers 1 are stacked on top of each other. That is, as shown in Figure 26, when each vapor chamber 1 is provided with an upper sheet retraction portion 25i, the lower sheet retraction portion 15i of the uppermost vapor chamber 1 and the upper sheet retraction portion 25i of the vapor chamber 1 located below it together provide a wider space for the claws 82a, 82b, etc. of the suspension device 80 to enter. As a result, it is possible to further facilitate lifting the vapor chambers 1 and further improve the transportability of the vapor chambers 1. Furthermore, this allows, for example, the thickness t2 of the lower sheet 10 to be thinner than the thickness (dimension in the Z direction) of the claw portions 82a and 82b of the suspension device 80. As a result, further thinning of the vapor chamber 1 can be achieved.

[0208] (Ninth modified example of the first embodiment) Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, an example was described in which the vapor chamber 1 is composed of a lower sheet 10, an upper sheet 20, and a wick sheet 30. However, the vapor chamber 1 is not limited to this, and may be composed of a lower sheet 10 (first sheet) and a wick sheet 30 (main sheet).

[0209] In the example shown in Figure 27, the vapor chamber 1 includes a lower sheet 10 and a wick sheet 30, but does not include an upper sheet 20. The housing member Ha may be attached to the second main body surface 31b of the wick sheet 30. The heat of the working steam 2a is transferred from the wick sheet 30 to the housing member Ha.

[0210] In the example shown in Figure 27, the steam passage section 50 is provided on the first main body surface 31a, but does not extend to the second main body surface 31b and does not penetrate the wick sheet 30. That is, the first steam passage 51 and the second steam passage 52 of the steam passage section 50 are composed of a lower steam passage recess 53, and the wick sheet 30 does not have an upper steam passage recess 54.

[0211] The thickness t5 of the vapor chamber 1 shown in Figure 27 may be, for example, 100 μm to 1000 μm. The thickness t6 of the lower sheet 10 shown in Figure 27 may be, for example, 6 μm to 200 μm. The thickness t7 of the wick sheet 30 shown in Figure 27 may be, for example, 50 μm to 800 μm.

[0212] The example shown in Figure 27 is not limited to this, and a steam passage section 50 may be provided on the second lower sheet surface 10b of the lower sheet 10. In this case, the steam passage section 50 of the lower sheet 10 may be located opposite the steam passage section 50 of the wick sheet 30. Furthermore, a liquid passage section 60 may be provided on the second lower sheet surface 10b of the lower sheet 10.

[0213] Thus, the vapor chamber 1 may be composed of a lower sheet 10 and a wick sheet 30.

[0214] Even in such cases, the claws 82a, 82b, etc. of the suspension device 80 can be inserted into the lower sheet retraction sections 15a, 15b, making it easier to lift the vapor chamber 1. This improves the transportability of the vapor chamber 1.

[0215] (Second Embodiment) Next, the vapor chamber and electronic equipment according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 28 to 30.

[0216] In the second embodiment shown in Figures 28 to 30, the main difference is that the main sheet is provided with a main sheet retraction portion that, in a plan view, is retracted towards the space side of the outer edge of the first sheet. The other configurations are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 14. In Figures 28 to 30, the same reference numerals are used for parts that are the same as those in the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 14, and detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0217] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 28 and 29, the wick sheet 30 (main sheet) is formed to be smaller overall than the lower sheet 10 (second sheet) and the upper sheet 20 (first sheet) in a plan view. Therefore, the outer edge 32o of the wick sheet 30 is positioned inward from the outer edge 11o of the lower sheet 10 and the outer edge 21o of the upper sheet 20, i.e., on the side of the steam flow path 50. As a result, the wick sheet 30 is provided with wick sheet retraction sections 38a, 38b, 38c, and 38d (main sheet retraction sections) that are retracted on the side of the steam flow path 50 than the outer edge 11o of the lower sheet 10 and the outer edge 21o of the upper sheet 20 in a plan view.

[0218] More specifically, the longitudinal side edge 32a of the wick sheet 30 is positioned closer to the steam flow channel 50 than the longitudinal side edge 11a of the lower sheet 10 and the longitudinal side edge 21a of the upper sheet 20, and a wick sheet retraction portion 38a is formed on the longitudinal side edge 32a of the wick sheet 30. Also, the longitudinal side edge 32b of the wick sheet 30 is positioned closer to the steam flow channel 50 than the longitudinal side edge 11b of the lower sheet 10 and the longitudinal side edge 21b of the upper sheet 20, and a wick sheet retraction portion 38b is formed on the longitudinal side edge 32b of the wick sheet 30. Furthermore, the short-side edge 32c of the wick sheet 30 is positioned closer to the steam flow channel 50 than the short-side edge 11c of the lower sheet 10 and the short-side edge 21c of the upper sheet 20, and a wick sheet retraction portion 38c is formed on the short-side edge 32c of the wick sheet 30. Also, the short-side edge 32d of the wick sheet 30 is positioned closer to the steam flow channel 50 than the short-side edge 11d of the lower sheet 10 and the short-side edge 21d of the upper sheet 20, and a wick sheet retraction portion 38d is formed on the short-side edge 32d of the wick sheet 30. In this way, the wick sheet retraction portions 38a, 38b, 38c, and 38d are formed around the entire circumference of the outer peripheral edge 32o of the wick sheet 30, except for the portion where the wick sheet injection projection 36 is provided.

[0219] The dimension w11 between the longitudinal side edge 11a of the lower sheet 10 and the longitudinal side edge 32a of the wick sheet 30 in the Y direction, as shown in Figure 29, may be, for example, 10 μm to 1000 μm. The same applies to the dimension between the longitudinal side edge 11b of the lower sheet 10 and the longitudinal side edge 32b of the wick sheet 30 in the Y direction, the dimension between the short side edge 11c of the lower sheet 10 and the short side edge 32c of the wick sheet 30 in the X direction, and the dimension between the short side edge 11d of the lower sheet 10 and the short side edge 32d of the wick sheet 30 in the X direction. That is, each wick sheet retraction portion 38a, 38b, 38c, 38d may be retracted to a position at a distance of 10 μm or more and 1000 μm or less from the outer peripheral edge 11o of the lower sheet 10 in a plan view.

[0220] The dimension w11' between the longitudinal side edge 21a of the upper sheet 20 and the longitudinal side edge 32a of the wick sheet 30 in the Y direction, as shown in Figure 29, may be, for example, 10 μm to 1000 μm. The same applies to the dimension between the longitudinal side edge 21b of the upper sheet 20 and the longitudinal side edge 32b of the wick sheet 30 in the Y direction, the dimension between the short side edge 21c of the upper sheet 20 and the short side edge 32c of the wick sheet 30 in the X direction, and the dimension between the short side edge 21d of the upper sheet 20 and the short side edge 32d of the wick sheet 30 in the X direction. That is, each wick sheet retraction portion 38a, 38b, 38c, 38d may be retracted to a position at a distance of 10 μm or more and 1000 μm or less from the outer peripheral edge 21o of the upper sheet 20 in a plan view. Note that dimension w11' may be equal to the dimension w11 mentioned above, but it may also be larger or smaller than the dimension w11 mentioned above.

[0221] Furthermore, the dimension w12 between the longitudinal side edge 32a of the wick sheet 30 and the steam flow channel 50 (first steam passage 51) in the Y direction, as shown in Figure 29, may be, for example, 30 μm to 3000 μm. Here, this dimension w12 refers to the dimension on the first main body surface 31a or the second main body surface 31b. The same applies to the dimension between the longitudinal side edge 32b of the wick sheet 30 and the steam flow channel 50 in the Y direction, the dimension between the short side edge 32c of the wick sheet 30 and the steam flow channel 50 in the X direction, and the dimension between the short side edge 32d of the wick sheet 30 and the steam flow channel 50 in the X direction. That is, each wick sheet inlet portion 38a, 38b, 38c, 38d may be provided at a distance of 30 μm or more and 3000 μm or less from the steam flow channel 50 (first steam passage 51).

[0222] Next, the method for transporting the vapor chamber 1 according to this embodiment will be explained using Figure 30. Here, we will describe a method for removing and transporting the vapor chamber 1 from a state in which the vapor chambers 1 are stacked on top of each other.

[0223] First, as shown in FIG. 30, insert the claw portions 82a and 82b of the first arm portion 81a and the second arm portion 81b of the suspension device 80 into the wick sheet drawing portions 38a and 38b of the wick sheet 30, respectively, and bring the first claw portion 82a and the second claw portion 82b into contact with the first upper sheet surface 20a of the upper sheet 20, respectively.

[0224] Next, with the first claw portion 82a and the second claw portion 82b in contact with the first upper sheet surface 20a of the upper sheet 20, move the first arm portion 81a and the second arm portion 81b upward, respectively. As a result, the first upper sheet surface 20a of the upper sheet 20 is supported by the first claw portion 82a and the second claw portion 82b, and the vapor chamber 1 is suspended by the suspension device 80.

[0225] Then, with the vapor chamber 1 suspended by the suspension device 80, move the first arm portion 81a and the second arm portion 81b horizontally to transport the vapor chamber 1 to a desired target position.

[0226] In this way, the vapor chamber 1 according to the present embodiment can be transported by the suspension device 80.

[0227] Note that, similar to the first embodiment, the transportation of the vapor chamber 1 by the suspension device 80 described above is an example, and the vapor chamber 1 can be transported using any other device or the like.

[0228] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the wick sheet 30 is provided with wick sheet drawing portions 38a, 38b, 38c, and 38d that are drawn into the side of the vapor flow path portion 50 rather than the outer peripheral edge 21o of the upper sheet 20 in a plan view. As a result, the claw portions 82a, 82b, etc. of the suspension device 80 can be inserted into the wick sheet drawing portions 38a, 38b, 38c, and 38d of the placed vapor chamber 1. Therefore, the vapor chamber 1 can be easily lifted, and the transportation of the vapor chamber 1 can be facilitated. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 1 can be improved.

[0229] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to eliminate the need to use the suction device 85 for transporting the vapor chamber 1. Therefore, deformation of the vapor chamber 1 can be suppressed. As a result, further thinning of the vapor chamber 1 can be achieved.

[0230] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the wick sheet 30 is formed to be smaller overall than the lower sheet 10 and the upper sheet 20 in a plan view. This eliminates the need for precise alignment of the lower sheet 10, the wick sheet 30, and the upper sheet 20 during the joining process when manufacturing the vapor chamber 1. In other words, even if the lower sheet 10 and the upper sheet 20 are positioned offset from the wick sheet 30, the lower sheet 10 and the upper sheet 20 can cover the vapor flow path 50 provided in the wick sheet 30. This makes it easier to manufacture the vapor chamber 1.

[0231] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the wick sheet retraction sections 38a, 38b, 38c, and 38d are provided on a pair of longitudinal side edges 32a, 32b and a pair of transverse side edges 32c, 32d of the wick sheet 30, respectively. This allows the claws 82a, 82b, etc., of the suspension device 80 to be inserted into any of the wick sheet retraction sections 38a, 38b, 38c, or 38d from any direction in a plan view of the placed vapor chamber 1, thereby lifting the vapor chamber 1. This makes lifting the vapor chamber 1 even easier. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 1 can be further improved.

[0232] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the wick sheet retraction sections 38a, 38b, 38c, and 38d are retracted to a position 10 μm to 1000 μm away from the outer peripheral edge 21o of the upper sheet 20 in a plan view. Because the wick sheet retraction sections 38a, 38b, 38c, and 38d are retracted by 10 μm or more, the claws 82a, 82b, etc. of the suspension device 80 can firmly support the first upper sheet surface 20a of the upper sheet 20. This makes it easier to lift the vapor chamber 1. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 1 can be further improved. In addition, because the wick sheet retraction sections 38a, 38b, 38c, and 38d are retracted by 1000 μm or less, the area of ​​the vapor chamber 1 can be effectively utilized. That is, the vapor flow path section 50 and the liquid flow path section 60 can be provided in a wider area of ​​the vapor chamber 1, improving the performance of the vapor chamber 1.

[0233] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the wick sheet retraction sections 38a, 38b, 38c, and 38d are located at a distance of 30 μm or more from the steam flow path section 50 in a plan view. By having a distance of 30 μm or more between the steam flow path section 50 and the wick sheet retraction sections 38a, 38b, 38c, and 38d, the second main body surface 31b and the first upper sheet surface 20a can be firmly joined during the joining process when manufacturing the vapor chamber 1. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the strength of the vapor chamber 1.

[0234] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, by configuring the vapor chamber 1 with a lower sheet 10, an upper sheet 20, and a wick sheet 30, the heat absorbed by the device D by the lower sheet 10 can be released from the upper sheet 20. This allows for effective cooling of the device D. Therefore, the performance of the vapor chamber 1 can be improved.

[0235] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the wick sheet retraction sections 38a, 38b, 38c, and 38d are retracted towards the steam flow path section 50 in a plan view, relative to the outer peripheral edge 11o of the lower sheet 10. As a result, even if the vapor chamber 1 is placed in the opposite direction, that is, even if the second upper sheet surface 20b of the upper sheet 20 faces the mounting surface 70, the vapor chamber 1 can be easily lifted by bringing the claws 82a, 82b, etc. of the suspension device 80 into contact with the second lower sheet surface 10b of the lower sheet 10 and moving it upward. Therefore, even if the vapor chamber 1 is placed in the opposite direction, the transport of the vapor chamber 1 can be facilitated. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 1 can be further improved.

[0236] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the lower sheet 10 and the upper sheet 20 are made of a material with higher strength than the material that constitutes the wick sheet 30. This makes it possible to suppress deformation of the lower sheet 10 and the upper sheet 20 when the vapor chamber 1 is suspended by bringing the claws 82a, 82b, etc. of the suspension device 80 into contact with the first upper sheet surface 20a of the upper sheet 20 and the second lower sheet surface 10b of the lower sheet 10.

[0237] (First modified example of the second embodiment) In the second embodiment described above, an example was described in which the wick sheet retraction portions 38a, 38b, 38c, and 38d are provided on a pair of longitudinal side edges 32a, 32b and a pair of transverse side edges 32c, 32d of the wick sheet 30, respectively (see Figure 28). However, the invention is not limited to this, and, similar to the first modification of the first embodiment described above, the wick sheet retraction portions 38a and 38b may be provided on at least one of the pair of longitudinal side edges 32a and 32b of the wick sheet 30.

[0238] (Second modified example of the second embodiment) Furthermore, similar to the second modification of the first embodiment described above, the wick sheet retraction portions 38a, 38b, 38c, and 38d may be provided on one of the pair of longitudinal side edges 32a and 32b of the wick sheet 30, as well as on one of the pair of transverse side edges 32c and 32d of the wick sheet 30.

[0239] (Third modified example of the second embodiment) Furthermore, similar to the third modification of the first embodiment described above, the wick sheet retraction portions 38a and 38b may be provided on both of the pair of longitudinal side edges 32a and 32b of the wick sheet 30, respectively. Moreover, the wick sheet retraction portions 38a and 38b may be provided on a portion of the pair of longitudinal side edges 32a and 32b of the wick sheet 30.

[0240] (Fourth modified example of the second embodiment) Furthermore, similar to the fourth modification of the first embodiment described above, the wick sheet retraction portions 38a and 38b may be provided at the corners of the wick sheet 30.

[0241] (Fifth modified example of the second embodiment) Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, an example was described in which the wick sheet retraction portions 38a, 38b, 38c, and 38d are retracted in a plan view toward the steam flow section 50 side of the outer peripheral edge 11o of the lower sheet 10, and also retracted in a plan view toward the steam flow section 50 side of the outer peripheral edge 21o of the upper sheet 20 (see Figure 29). However, the invention is not limited to this, and the wick sheet retraction portions 38a, 38b, 38c, and 38d do not have to be retracted in a plan view toward the steam flow section 50 side of the outer peripheral edge 11o of the lower sheet 10. Alternatively, the wick sheet retraction portions 38a, 38b, 38c, and 38d do not have to be retracted in a plan view toward the steam flow section 50 side of the outer peripheral edge 21o of the upper sheet 20.

[0242] In the example shown in FIG. 31, while the wick sheet 30 is formed to be overall smaller than the upper sheet 20 in plan view, it is formed to have the same size as the lower sheet 10. That is, the wick sheet 30 and the lower sheet 10 are formed to be overall smaller than the upper sheet 20 in plan view. As a result, the wick sheet 30 is provided with wick sheet drawing portions 38a, 38b, 38c, 38d that are drawn into the side of the vapor flow path portion 50 rather than the outer peripheral edge 21o of the upper sheet 20 in plan view.

[0243] Even in such a case, a predetermined device, tool, finger, etc. can be inserted into the wick sheet drawing portions 38a, 38b, 38c, 38d, and the lifting of the vapor chamber 1 can be facilitated. For this reason, the transportability of the vapor chamber 1 can be improved.

[0244] Also, the wick sheet 30 may be formed to be overall smaller than the lower sheet 10 in plan view while being formed to have the same size as the upper sheet 20. That is, the wick sheet 30 and the upper sheet 20 may be formed to be overall smaller than the lower sheet 10 in plan view. As a result, the wick sheet 30 may be provided with wick sheet drawing portions 38a, 38b, 38c, 38d that are drawn into the side of the vapor flow path portion 50 rather than the outer peripheral edge 11o of the lower sheet 10 in plan view.

[0245] In this case, in a state where the vapor chamber 1 is placed in the opposite direction, that is, in a state where the second upper sheet surface 20b of the upper sheet 20 faces the placement surface 70, by inserting a predetermined device, tool, finger, etc. into the wick sheet drawing portions 38a, 38b, 38c, 38d, the lifting of the vapor chamber 1 can be facilitated. For this reason, the transportability of the vapor chamber 1 can be improved.

[0246] (Sixth Modification of the Second Embodiment) Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, an example was described in which no liquid flow channel 60 is provided between the wick sheet retraction sections 38a, 38b, 38c, and 38d and the steam flow channel 50 (see Figure 29). However, the invention is not limited to this, and, similar to the sixth modification of the first embodiment described above, a liquid flow channel 60 may be provided between the wick sheet retraction sections 38a, 38b, 38c, and 38d and the steam flow channel 50.

[0247] (Seventh modified example of the second embodiment) Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, an example was described in which the vapor chamber 1 is provided with one wick sheet 30 (see Figure 29). However, it is not limited to this, and the vapor chamber 1 may be provided with multiple wick sheets 30, similar to the seventh modification of the first embodiment described above.

[0248] (Eighth modified example of the second embodiment) Furthermore, similar to the eighth modification of the first embodiment described above, the vapor chamber 1 may also have a through hole 90.

[0249] In the examples shown in Figures 32 and 33, in a plan view, the inner periphery 31i defining the wick sheet penetration portion 92 of the wick sheet 30 is located outside the inner periphery 10i defining the lower sheet penetration portion 91 of the lower sheet 10 and the inner periphery 20i defining the upper sheet penetration portion 93 of the upper sheet 20, i.e., on the opposite side from the through hole 90. As a result, the wick sheet 30 is provided with a wick sheet retraction portion 38i that, in a plan view, is retracted on the opposite side from the through hole 90 than the inner periphery 10i defining the through hole 90 of the lower sheet 10 and the inner periphery 20i defining the through hole 90 of the upper sheet 20.

[0250] The dimension w13 between the inner edge 10i of the lower sheet 10 and the inner edge 31i of the wick sheet 30 in the Y direction shown in Figure 33 may be, for example, 10 μm to 1000 μm. That is, the wick sheet retraction portion 38i may be retracted to a position that is 10 μm or more and 1000 μm or less away from the inner edge 10i of the lower sheet 10 in a plan view.

[0251] The dimension w13' between the inner edge 20i of the upper sheet 20 and the inner edge 31i of the wick sheet 30 in the Y direction shown in Figure 33 may be, for example, 10 μm to 1000 μm. That is, the wick sheet retraction portion 38i may be retracted to a position that is 10 μm or more and 1000 μm or less away from the inner edge 20i of the upper sheet 20 in a plan view. Note that dimension w13' may be equal to the dimension w13 described above, but may also be larger or smaller than the dimension w13 described above.

[0252] Furthermore, the dimension w14 between the inner periphery 31i of the wick sheet 30 and the liquid flow channel 60 in the Y direction shown in Figure 33 may be, for example, 30 μm to 3000 μm. Here, this dimension w14 refers to the dimension on the first main body surface 31a or the second main body surface 31b. That is, the wick sheet retraction portion 38i may be provided at a distance of 30 μm or more and 3000 μm or less from the liquid flow channel 60. Note that if a steam flow channel 50 is provided between the inner periphery 31i of the wick sheet 30 and the liquid flow channel 60, the dimension between the inner periphery 31i of the wick sheet 30 and the steam flow channel 50 in the Y direction may be 30 μm to 3000 μm.

[0253] Even in such cases, as shown in Figure 34, the first arm portion 81a and the second arm portion 81b of the suspension device 80 can be inserted into the wick sheet retraction portion 38i, making it easier to lift the vapor chamber 1. This improves the transportability of the vapor chamber 1.

[0254] Furthermore, because the wick sheet retraction section 38i is retracted by 10 μm or more, the claws 82a, 82b, etc. of the suspension device 80 can firmly support the first upper sheet surface 20a of the upper sheet 20. This makes it even easier to lift the vapor chamber 1. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 1 can be further improved. In addition, because the wick sheet retraction section 38i is retracted by 1000 μm or less, the area of ​​the vapor chamber 1 can be effectively utilized. That is, the vapor flow path section 50 and the liquid flow path section 60 can be provided in a wider area of ​​the vapor chamber 1, improving the performance of the vapor chamber 1.

[0255] Furthermore, because the distance between the steam flow path section 50 and the wick sheet inlet section 38i is 30 μm or more, the first main body surface 31a and the first upper sheet surface 20a can be firmly joined during the joining process in the manufacturing of the vapor chamber 1. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the strength of the vapor chamber 1.

[0256] Furthermore, by configuring the vapor chamber 1 with a lower sheet 10, an upper sheet 20, and a wick sheet 30, the heat absorbed by the device D by the lower sheet 10 can be released through the upper sheet 20. This allows for effective cooling of the device D. As a result, the performance of the vapor chamber 1 can be improved.

[0257] Furthermore, in a plan view, the wick sheet retraction section 38i is retracted towards the steam flow path section 50 more than the inner peripheral edge 10i of the lower sheet 10. As a result, even if the vapor chamber 1 is placed in the opposite direction, that is, even if the second upper sheet surface 20b of the upper sheet 20 is placed facing the mounting surface 70, the vapor chamber 1 can be easily lifted by bringing the claws 82a, 82b, etc. of the suspension device 80 into contact with the second lower sheet surface 10b of the lower sheet 10 and moving it upward. Therefore, even if the vapor chamber 1 is placed in the opposite direction, the transport of the vapor chamber 1 can be facilitated. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 1 can be further improved.

[0258] (Ninth modified example of the second embodiment) Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, an example was described in which the vapor chamber 1 is composed of a lower sheet 10, an upper sheet 20, and a wick sheet 30. However, the invention is not limited to this, and similar to the ninth modification of the first embodiment described above, the vapor chamber 1 may be composed of a lower sheet 10 (first sheet) and a wick sheet 30 (main sheet).

[0259] (Third embodiment) Next, a vapor chamber and electronic equipment according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 35 to 41.

[0260] As shown in Figures 35 and 36, the vapor chamber 101 according to this embodiment has a sealed space 103 containing working fluids 2a and 2b. The working fluids 2a and 2b in the sealed space 103 undergo repeated phase changes, thereby cooling the device D of the electronic device E described above.

[0261] As shown in Figures 35 and 36, the vapor chamber 101 comprises a lower sheet 110 (first sheet), an upper sheet 120 (second sheet), and a wick sheet 130 (main sheet) for the vapor chamber interposed between the lower sheet 110 and the upper sheet 120. In this embodiment, the vapor chamber 101 comprises one wick sheet 130. In this embodiment, the vapor chamber 101 is constructed by stacking and joining the lower sheet 110, the wick sheet 130, and the upper sheet 120 in this order.

[0262] The vapor chamber 101 is generally formed in the shape of a thin flat plate. The planar shape of the vapor chamber 101 is arbitrary, but it may be rectangular as shown in Figure 35. The planar shape of the vapor chamber 101 may be, for example, a rectangle with one side of 1 cm and the other side of 3 cm, or a square with one side of 15 cm, and the planar dimensions of the vapor chamber 101 are arbitrary. In this embodiment, as an example, an example in which the planar shape of the vapor chamber 101 is rectangular with the X direction as the longitudinal direction will be described. Note that the planar shape of the vapor chamber 101 is not limited to a rectangle, and can be any shape such as a circle, an ellipse, an L-shape, or a T-shape.

[0263] As shown in Figure 35, the vapor chamber 101 has an evaporation region SSR where the working fluids 2a and 2b evaporate, and a condensation region CCR where the working fluids 2a and 2b condense.

[0264] The evaporation region SSR is the region that overlaps with device D in a plan view and is the region where device D is mounted. The evaporation region SSR can be positioned anywhere in the vapor chamber 101. In this embodiment, the evaporation region SSR is formed on one side of the vapor chamber 101 in the X direction (the left side in Figure 35). Heat from device D is transferred to the evaporation region SSR, and this heat causes the working fluid (working fluid 2b) to evaporate in the evaporation region SSR. Heat from device D can be transferred not only to the region that overlaps with device D in a plan view, but also to the surrounding area. Therefore, the evaporation region SSR includes the region that overlaps with device D and the surrounding area in a plan view. Here, a plan view refers to a view of the vapor chamber 101 from a direction perpendicular to the surface that receives heat from the device D (the first lower sheet surface 110a of the lower sheet 110, described later) and the surface that releases the received heat (the second upper sheet surface 120b of the upper sheet 120, described later). For example, as shown in Figure 35, this corresponds to a view of the vapor chamber 101 from above or from below.

[0265] The condensation region CCR is an area that does not overlap with device D in a plan view, and is primarily a region where the working fluid vapor (working vapor 2a) releases heat and condenses. The condensation region CCR can also be described as the area surrounding the evaporation region SSR. In this embodiment, the condensation region CCR is formed on the other side of the vapor chamber 101 in the X direction (the right side in Figure 35). In the condensation region CCR, heat from the working vapor 2a is released to the upper sheet 120, and the working vapor 2a is cooled and condenses in the condensation region CCR.

[0266] Furthermore, when the vapor chamber 101 is installed inside a mobile terminal, the top-bottom relationship may be disrupted depending on the orientation of the mobile terminal. However, in this embodiment, for convenience, the sheet that receives heat from device D is referred to as the lower sheet 110, and the sheet that releases the received heat is referred to as the upper sheet 120. For this reason, the following explanation will be given with the lower sheet 110 positioned at the bottom and the upper sheet 120 positioned at the top.

[0267] First, let's explain the lower sheet 110.

[0268] As shown in Figure 36, the lower sheet 110 has a first lower sheet surface 110a located on the side opposite to the wick sheet 130, and a second lower sheet surface 110b located on the side opposite to the first lower sheet surface 110a (i.e., the side of the wick sheet 130). The lower sheet 110 may be formed to be flat overall, or it may have a uniform thickness overall. The device D described above is attached to this first lower sheet surface 110a.

[0269] As shown in Figure 37, the planar shape of the lower sheet 110 may be rectangular overall. More specifically, the lower sheet 110 may have, in plan view, a pair of longitudinal side edges 111a, 111b (first side edges) extending in the X direction (first direction), and a pair of transverse side edges 111c, 111d (second side edges) extending in the Y direction (second direction) perpendicular to the X direction. The pair of longitudinal side edges 111a, 111b are provided on both sides in the Y direction. The longitudinal side edge 111a is provided on one side in the Y direction (the lower side in Figure 37), and the longitudinal side edge 111b is provided on the other side in the Y direction (the upper side in Figure 37). The pair of transverse side edges 111c, 111d are provided on both sides in the X direction. The short-side edge 111c is provided on one side in the X direction (the left side in Figure 37), and the short-side edge 111d is provided on the other side in the X direction (the right side in Figure 37). These pair of longitudinal side edges 111a, 111b and the pair of short-side edges 111c, 111d constitute the outer peripheral edge 111o of the lower sheet 110 in a plan view.

[0270] As shown in Figures 35 and 36, the lower sheet 110 is formed to be smaller overall than the upper sheet 120, which will be described later, in a plan view. Therefore, in a plan view, the outer edge 111o of the lower sheet 110 is positioned inward (towards the steam flow channel 150, which will be described later) than the outer edge 121o of the upper sheet 120. That is, the longitudinal side edges 111a, 111b and the transverse side edges 111c, 111d of the lower sheet 110 are positioned inward, respectively, than the longitudinal side edges 121a, 121b and the transverse side edges 121c, 121d of the upper sheet 120, which will be described later.

[0271] As shown in Figure 37, the lower sheet 110 may have a rectangular lower sheet body 111 and a lower sheet injection projection 113 that protrudes outward from the lower sheet body 111. In the example shown in Figure 37, the lower sheet injection projection 113 is provided on the short-side edge 111c and protrudes from the short-side edge 111c to one side in the X direction (the left side in Figure 37).

[0272] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 37, alignment holes 112 may be provided at the four corners of the lower sheet body 111 of the lower sheet 110. In the example shown in Figure 37, the planar shape of the alignment holes 112 is circular, but it is not limited to this. The alignment holes 112 may penetrate the lower sheet body 111.

[0273] Next, we will explain the upper sheet 120.

[0274] As shown in Figure 36, the upper sheet 120 has a first upper sheet surface 120a provided on the side of the wick sheet 130 and a second upper sheet surface 120b provided on the opposite side from the first upper sheet surface 120a. The upper sheet 120 may be formed to be flat overall and may have a uniform thickness overall. A housing member Ha, which constitutes part of the housing H of a mobile terminal or the like, is attached to this second upper sheet surface 120b. The entire second upper sheet surface 120b may be covered by the housing member Ha.

[0275] As shown in Figure 38, the planar shape of the upper sheet 120 may be rectangular overall. More specifically, the upper sheet 120 may have, in plan view, a pair of longitudinal side edges 121a, 121b extending in the X direction and a pair of transverse side edges 121c, 121d extending in the Y direction. The pair of longitudinal side edges 121a, 121b are provided on both sides in the Y direction. The longitudinal side edge 121a is provided on one side in the Y direction (the lower side in Figure 38), and the longitudinal side edge 121b is provided on the other side in the Y direction (the upper side in Figure 38). The pair of transverse side edges 121c, 121d are provided on both sides in the X direction. The short-side edge 121c is provided on one side in the X direction (the left side in Figure 38), and the short-side edge 121d is provided on the other side in the X direction (the right side in Figure 38). These pair of longitudinal side edges 121a, 121b and the pair of short-side edges 121c, 121d constitute the outer peripheral edge 121o of the upper sheet 120 in a plan view.

[0276] As shown in Figures 35 and 36, the upper sheet 120 is generally larger than the lower sheet 110 in a plan view. Therefore, in a plan view, the outer edge 121o of the upper sheet 120 is located outside the outer edge 111o of the lower sheet 110 (on the opposite side from the steam flow channel 150, which will be described later). In other words, the longitudinal side edges 121a, 121b and the transverse side edges 121c, 121d of the upper sheet 120 are located outside the longitudinal side edges 111a, 111b and the transverse side edges 111c, 111d of the lower sheet 110, respectively.

[0277] As shown in Figure 38, the upper sheet 120 may have a rectangular upper sheet body 121 and an upper sheet injection projection 123 that protrudes outward from the upper sheet body 121. In the example shown in Figure 38, the upper sheet injection projection 123 is provided on the short-side edge 121c and protrudes from the short-side edge 121c to one side in the X direction (the left side in Figure 38).

[0278] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 38, alignment holes 122 may be provided at the four corners of the upper sheet body 121 of the upper sheet 120. In the example shown in Figure 38, the planar shape of the alignment holes 122 is circular, but it is not limited to this. The alignment holes 112 may penetrate the upper sheet body 121.

[0279] Next, we will explain the wick sheet 130.

[0280] As shown in Figure 36, the wick sheet 130 comprises a sheet body 131 and a steam flow path section 150 (space) provided in the sheet body 131. The sheet body 131 has a first body surface 131a and a second body surface 131b provided on the opposite side from the first body surface 131a. The first body surface 131a is located on the side of the lower sheet 110, and the second body surface 131b is located on the side of the upper sheet 120.

[0281] The second lower sheet surface 110b of the lower sheet 110 and the first main body surface 131a of the sheet body 131 may be permanently joined to each other by thermocompression bonding. Similarly, the first upper sheet surface 120a of the upper sheet 120 and the second main body surface 131b of the sheet body 131 may be permanently joined to each other by thermocompression bonding. An example of joining by thermocompression bonding is diffusion bonding. However, the lower sheet 110, the upper sheet 120 and the wick sheet 130 may be joined by other methods such as brazing, as long as they can be permanently joined, rather than by diffusion bonding. The term "permanently joined" is not strictly defined and is used to mean that the joining between the lower sheet 110 and the wick sheet 130 is maintained to the extent that the airtightness of the sealed space 3 can be maintained when the vapor chamber 101 is in operation, and that the joining between the upper sheet 120 and the wick sheet 130 is maintained.

[0282] As shown in Figure 39, in plan view, the overall shape of the wick sheet 130 may be rectangular. More specifically, in plan view, the wick sheet 130 may have a pair of longitudinal side edges 132a, 132b extending in the X direction and a pair of transverse side edges 132c, 132d extending in the Y direction. The pair of longitudinal side edges 132a, 132b are provided on both sides in the Y direction. The longitudinal side edge 132a is provided on one side in the Y direction (the lower side in Figure 39), and the longitudinal side edge 132b is provided on the other side in the Y direction (the upper side in Figure 39). The pair of transverse side edges 132c, 132d are provided on both sides in the X direction. The short-side edge 132c is provided on one side in the X direction (the left side in Figure 39), and the short-side edge 132d is provided on the other side in the X direction (the right side in Figure 39). These pair of longitudinal side edges 132a, 132b and the pair of short-side edges 132c, 132d constitute the outer peripheral edge 132o of the wick sheet 130 in a plan view.

[0283] As shown in Figures 35 and 36, in a plan view, the outer edge 132o of the wick sheet 130 overlaps the outer edge 121o of the upper sheet 120. That is, the longitudinal side edges 132a, 132b and the transverse side edges 132c, 132d of the wick sheet 130 overlap the longitudinal side edges 121a, 121b and the transverse side edges 121c, 121d of the upper sheet 120, respectively. The wick sheet 130 also has a recessed section 170 that is drawn inward from the outer edge 132o (towards the steam flow channel section 150, which will be described later). Details of the recessed section 170 will be described later.

[0284] As shown in Figure 39, the wick sheet 130 may have a wick sheet injection projection 136 that protrudes outward from the frame portion 132, which will be described later. In the example shown in Figure 39, the wick sheet injection projection 136 is provided on the short-side edge 132c and protrudes from the short-side edge 132c to one side in the X direction (the left side in Figure 39).

[0285] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 39, alignment holes 135 may be provided at the four corners of the sheet body 131 of the wick sheet 130. In the example shown in Figure 39, the planar shape of the alignment holes 135 is circular, but it is not limited to this. The alignment holes 135 may penetrate the sheet body 131.

[0286] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 36 and 39, the sheet body 131 of the wick sheet 130 according to this embodiment has a frame portion 132 formed in the shape of a rectangular frame in plan view, and a plurality of land portions 133 provided within the frame portion 132. The frame portion 132 and the land portions 133 are parts where the material of the wick sheet 130 remains without being etched in the etching process described later.

[0287] In this embodiment, the frame portion 132 is formed in the shape of a rectangular frame when viewed from above. A steam flow path portion 150 (space portion) is provided inside this frame portion 132. Each land portion 133 is provided within the steam flow path portion 150, and the operating steam 2a flows around each land portion 133. That is, the steam flow path portion 150 includes the above-mentioned plurality of land portions 133 and steam passages 151 and 152, which will be described later, provided around each land portion 133 and are passages through which the operating steam 2a flows.

[0288] In this embodiment, the land portion 133 may extend in an elongated shape with the X direction (left-right direction in Figure 39) as its longitudinal direction in a plan view, and the planar shape of the land portion 133 may be an elongated rectangular shape. Furthermore, each land portion 133 may be spaced equally apart in the Y direction (up-down direction in Figure 39) which is perpendicular to the X direction, and arranged parallel to each other. The width ww1 of the land portion 133 (see Figure 40) may be, for example, 100 μm to 1500 μm. Here, the width ww1 of the land portion 133 is the dimension of the land portion 133 in the Y direction, and means the dimension at the position where the through portion 134, which will be described later, exists in the Z direction. Here, the Z direction corresponds to the up-down direction in Figures 36 and 40, and corresponds to the thickness direction of the wick sheet 130.

[0289] The frame portion 132 and each land portion 133 are joined to the lower sheet 110 by heat compression and also joined to the upper sheet 120 by heat compression. The wall surface 153a of the lower steam flow recess 153 and the wall surface 154a of the upper steam flow recess 154, which will be described later, constitute the side walls of the land portion 133. The first body surface 131a and the second body surface 131b of the sheet body 131 may be formed flat over the frame portion 132 and each land portion 133.

[0290] The steam passage section 150 is primarily a passage through which the working steam 2a passes. The working fluid 2b may also pass through the steam passage section 150. As shown in Figures 36 and 40, the steam passage section 150 may penetrate from the first main body surface 131a to the second main body surface 131b. That is, it may penetrate the sheet body 131 of the wick sheet 130. The steam passage section 150 may be covered by the lower sheet 110 on the first main body surface 131a, and may be covered by the upper sheet 120 on the second main body surface 131b.

[0291] As shown in Figure 39, the steam flow path section 150 in this embodiment has a first steam passage 151 and a plurality of second steam passages 152. The first steam passage 151 is formed between the frame section 132 and the land section 133. This first steam passage 151 is formed continuously inside the frame section 132 and outside the land section 133. The planar shape of the first steam passage 151 is rectangular. The second steam passages 152 are formed between adjacent land sections 133. The planar shape of the second steam passages 152 is elongated rectangle. The steam flow path section 150 is divided into the first steam passage 151 and the plurality of second steam passages 152 by the plurality of land sections 133.

[0292] As shown in Figure 36, the first steam passage 151 and the second steam passage 152 penetrate the sheet body 131 from the first body surface 131a to the second body surface 131b. That is, they penetrate the wick sheet 130 in the Z direction. The first steam passage 151 and the second steam passage 152 are each composed of a lower steam passage recess 153 provided on the first body surface 131a and an upper steam passage recess 154 provided on the second body surface 131b. The lower steam passage recess 153 and the upper steam passage recess 154 are in communication with each other, so that the first steam passage 151 and the second steam passage 152 of the steam passage section 150 extend from the first body surface 131a to the second body surface 131b.

[0293] The lower steam passage recess 153 is formed in a concave shape on the first main surface 131a of the wick sheet 130 by etching from the first main surface 131a in the etching process described later. As a result, the lower steam passage recess 153 has a curved wall surface 153a, as shown in Figure 40. This wall surface 153a defines the lower steam passage recess 153 and, in the cross-section shown in Figure 40, curves so as it proceeds toward the second main surface 131b, it approaches the opposing wall surface 153a. This lower steam passage recess 153 constitutes a part (lower half) of the first steam passage 151 and a part (lower half) of the second steam passage 152.

[0294] The upper steam passage recess 154 is formed in a concave shape on the second main surface 131b of the wick sheet 130 by etching from the second main surface 131b in the etching process described later. As a result, the upper steam passage recess 154 has a curved wall surface 154a, as shown in Figure 40. This wall surface 154a defines the upper steam passage recess 154 and, in the cross-section shown in Figure 40, curves so as it proceeds toward the first main surface 131a, it approaches the opposing wall surface 154a. This upper steam passage recess 154 constitutes a part (upper half) of the first steam passage 151 and a part (upper half) of the second steam passage 152.

[0295] As shown in Figure 40, the wall surface 153a of the lower steam passage recess 153 and the wall surface 154a of the upper steam passage recess 154 are connected to form a penetration 134. The wall surfaces 153a and 154a are curved toward the penetration 134. As a result, the lower steam passage recess 153 and the upper steam passage recess 154 are in communication with each other. In this embodiment, the planar shape of the penetration 134 in the first steam passage 151 is a rectangular frame shape, similar to the first steam passage 151, and the planar shape of the penetration 134 in the second steam passage 152 is an elongated rectangular shape, similar to the second steam passage 152. The penetration 134 may be defined by a ridge formed by the confluence of the wall surface 153a of the lower steam passage recess 153 and the wall surface 154a of the upper steam passage recess 154, which protrude inward. The planar area of ​​the steam passage section 150 is minimized at this penetration 134. The widths ww2, ww2' of the through-holes 134 (see Figure 40) may be, for example, 400 μm to 1600 μm. Here, the width ww2 of the through-hole 134 corresponds to the gap between adjacent land portions 133 in the Y direction. The width ww2' of the through-hole 134 corresponds to the gap between the frame portion 132 and the land portion 133 in the Y direction (or X direction).

[0296] The position of the penetration 134 in the Z direction may be at an intermediate position between the first main body surface 131a and the second main body surface 131b, or it may be at a position shifted downward or upward from the intermediate position. The position of the penetration 134 is arbitrary as long as the lower steam flow recess 153 and the upper steam flow recess 154 are in communication.

[0297] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cross-sectional shapes of the first steam passage 151 and the second steam passage 152 are formed to include a through-port 134 defined by a ridge that protrudes inward, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the cross-sectional shapes of the first steam passage 151 and the second steam passage 152 may be trapezoidal, rectangular, or barrel-shaped.

[0298] The steam flow path section 150, including the first steam passage 151 and the second steam passage 152 configured in this way, constitutes a part of the sealed space 103 described above. Each steam passage 151 and 152 has a relatively large flow path cross-sectional area to allow the working steam 2a to pass through.

[0299] Here, Figure 36 shows the first steam passage 151 and the second steam passage 152, etc., in an enlarged view for clarity, and the number and arrangement of these steam passages 151, 152, etc. differ from those in Figures 35 and 39.

[0300] Incidentally, although not shown in the figures, multiple support parts may be provided within the steam flow path section 150 to support the land sections 133 on the frame section 132. Also, support parts may be provided to support adjacent land sections 133 to each other. These support parts may be provided on both sides of the land section 133 in the X direction, or on both sides of the land section 133 in the Y direction. The support parts may be formed so as not to obstruct the flow of working steam 2a diffusing through the steam flow path section 150. For example, they may be arranged on one side of the first body surface 131a and the second body surface 131b of the sheet body 131 of the wick sheet 130, and a space forming a steam flow path recess may be formed on the other side. This makes the thickness of the support parts thinner than the thickness of the sheet body 131, and prevents the first steam passage 151 and the second steam passage 152 from being divided in the X and Y directions.

[0301] As shown in Figures 36, 39, and 40, a liquid channel section 160 (groove) is provided on the first main body surface 131a of the sheet body 131 of the wick sheet 130, through which the working fluid 2b mainly passes. More specifically, the liquid channel section 160 is provided on the first main body surface 131a of each land section 133 of the wick sheet 130. Working vapor 2a may also pass through the liquid channel section 160. This liquid channel section 160 constitutes part of the sealed space 103 described above and is in communication with the vapor channel section 150. The liquid channel section 160 is configured as a capillary structure (wick) for transporting the working fluid 2b to the evaporation region SSR. The liquid channel section 160 may be formed over the entire first main body surface 131a of each land section 133. The liquid channel section 160 is not required to be provided on the second main body surface 131b of each land section 133.

[0302] As shown in Figure 41, the fluid flow channel section 160 is composed of a plurality of grooves provided on the first main body surface 131a. More specifically, the fluid flow channel section 160 has a plurality of main fluid flow channel grooves 161 through which the working fluid 2b passes, and a plurality of fluid flow channel connecting grooves 165 that communicate with the main fluid flow channel grooves 161.

[0303] Each liquid channel main groove 161 is formed to extend in the X direction, as shown in Figure 41. The liquid channel main groove 161 has a smaller channel cross-sectional area than the first steam passage 151 or the second steam passage 152 of the steam channel section 150, primarily so that the working fluid 2b flows by capillary action. In this way, the liquid channel main groove 161 is configured to transport the working fluid 2b condensed from the working steam 2a to the evaporation region SSR. Each liquid channel main groove 161 may be arranged at equal intervals in the Y direction.

[0304] The liquid flow channel main channel groove 161 is formed by etching from the first main body surface 131a of the sheet body 131 of the wick sheet 130 in an etching process described later. As a result, the liquid flow channel main channel groove 161 has a curved wall surface 162, as shown in Figure 40. This wall surface 162 defines the liquid flow channel main channel groove 161 and curves concavely toward the second main body surface 131b.

[0305] The width ww3 (dimension in the Y direction) of the liquid flow channel main groove 161 shown in Figures 40 and 41 may be, for example, 5 μm to 150 μm. Note that the width ww3 of the liquid flow channel main groove 61 refers to the dimension at the first main body surface 131a. Also, the depth hh1 (dimension in the Z direction) of the liquid flow channel main groove 161 shown in Figure 40 may be, for example, 3 μm to 150 μm.

[0306] As shown in Figure 41, each liquid flow channel connecting groove 165 extends in a direction different from the X direction. In this embodiment, each liquid flow channel connecting groove 165 is formed to extend in the Y direction and is formed perpendicular to the liquid flow channel main groove 161. Some liquid flow channel connecting grooves 165 are arranged to connect adjacent liquid flow channel main grooves 161 to each other. Other liquid flow channel connecting grooves 165 are arranged to connect the steam flow channel section 150 (first steam passage 151 or second steam passage 152) to the liquid flow channel main groove 161. That is, the liquid flow channel connecting groove 165 extends from the edge of the land section 133 in the Y direction to the liquid flow channel main groove 161 adjacent to that edge. In this way, the first steam passage 151 or second steam passage 152 of the steam flow channel section 150 and the liquid flow channel main groove 161 are in communication.

[0307] The liquid flow channel connecting grooves 165 have a smaller flow channel cross-sectional area than the first steam passage 151 or the second steam passage 152 of the steam flow channel section 150, primarily so that the working fluid 2b flows by capillary action. Each liquid flow channel connecting groove 165 may be arranged at equal intervals in the X direction.

[0308] The liquid flow channel connecting groove 165, like the liquid flow channel main channel groove 161, is formed by etching and has a curved wall surface (not shown) similar to that of the liquid flow channel main channel groove 161. The width ww4 (dimension in the X direction) of the liquid flow channel connecting groove 165 shown in Figure 41 may be equal to the width ww3 of the liquid flow channel main channel groove 161, but may be greater than or less than the width ww3. The depth of the liquid flow channel connecting groove 165 may be equal to the depth hh1 of the liquid flow channel main channel groove 161, but may be deeper than or shallower than the depth hh1.

[0309] As shown in Figure 41, the liquid flow channel section 160 has a row of liquid flow channel protrusions 163 provided on the first body surface 131a of the sheet body 131. The row of liquid flow channel protrusions 163 is provided between adjacent liquid flow channel main grooves 161. Each row of liquid flow channel protrusions 163 includes a plurality of liquid flow channel protrusions 164 arranged in the X direction. The liquid flow channel protrusions 164 are provided within the liquid flow channel section 160 and are in contact with the second lower sheet surface 110b of the lower sheet 110. Each liquid flow channel protrusion 164 is formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view, with the X direction being the longitudinal direction. A liquid flow channel main groove 161 is interposed between adjacent liquid flow channel protrusions 164 in the Y direction, and a liquid flow channel connecting groove 165 is interposed between adjacent liquid flow channel protrusions 164 in the X direction. The fluid flow channel connecting groove 165 is formed to extend in the Y direction and connects adjacent fluid flow channel main grooves 161 in the Y direction. This allows the working fluid 2b to flow between these fluid flow channel main grooves 161.

[0310] The liquid channel protrusion 164 is the portion of the wick sheet 130 that remains unetched in the etching process described later. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 41, the planar shape of the liquid channel protrusion 164 (the shape at the position of the first main body surface 131a of the sheet body 131 of the wick sheet 130) is rectangular.

[0311] In this embodiment, the liquid channel protrusions 164 are arranged in a staggered pattern. More specifically, the liquid channel protrusions 164 of adjacent rows 163 in the Y direction are offset from each other in the X direction. This offset may be half the arrangement pitch of the liquid channel protrusions 164 in the X direction. The width ww5 (dimension in the Y direction) of the liquid channel protrusions 164 shown in Figure 41 may be, for example, 5 μm to 500 μm. Note that the width ww5 of the liquid channel protrusions 164 refers to the dimension on the first main body surface 131a. Note that the arrangement of the liquid channel protrusions 164 is not limited to a staggered pattern, and they may be arranged in parallel. In this case, the liquid channel protrusions 164 of adjacent rows 163 in the Y direction are aligned in the X direction as well.

[0312] The main fluid channel groove 161 includes a fluid channel intersection 166 that communicates with the fluid channel connecting groove 165. At the fluid channel intersection 166, the main fluid channel groove 161 and the fluid channel connecting groove 165 communicate in a T-shape. This prevents the fluid channel connecting groove 165 on the other side (for example, the lower side in Figure 41) from communicating with the main fluid channel groove 161 at the fluid channel intersection 166 where one main fluid channel groove 161 communicates with the fluid channel connecting groove 165 on one side (for example, the upper side in Figure 41). This prevents the wall surface 162 of the main fluid channel groove 161 from being cut out on both sides (upper and lower sides in Figure 41) at the fluid channel intersection 166, allowing one side of the wall surface 162 to remain intact. Therefore, even at the fluid channel intersection 166, capillary action can be imparted to the working fluid in the main fluid channel groove 161, and the decrease in the propulsive force of the working fluid 2b toward the evaporation region SSR at the fluid channel intersection 166 can be suppressed.

[0313] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 35, the vapor chamber 101 may further include an injection section 104 on one side edge in the X direction (the left side in Figure 35) for injecting the working fluid 2b into the sealed space 103. In the example shown in Figure 35, the injection section 104 is located on the side of the evaporation region SSR and protrudes outward from the side edge on the side of the evaporation region SSR.

[0314] The injection section 104 is formed by the overlapping of the lower sheet injection projection 113 of the lower sheet 110 (see Figure 37), the upper sheet injection projection 123 of the upper sheet 120 (see Figure 38), and the wick sheet injection projection 136 of the wick sheet 130 (see Figure 39). In the illustrated example, the lower surface of the wick sheet injection projection 136 (first main body surface 131a) and the upper surface of the lower sheet injection projection 113 (second lower sheet surface 110b) overlap, and the upper surface of the wick sheet injection projection 136 (second main body surface 131b) and the lower surface of the upper sheet injection projection 123 (first upper sheet surface 120a) overlap. An injection channel 137 may be formed in the wick sheet injection projection 136. The injection channel 137 may penetrate the sheet body 131 from the first body surface 131a to the second body surface 131b. That is, it may penetrate the sheet body 131 (wick sheet injection projection 136) in the Z direction. The injection channel 137 is in communication with the first steam passage 151, and the working fluid 2b may be injected into the first steam passage 151 through the injection channel 137. Depending on the arrangement of the liquid flow channel section 160, the injection channel 137 may be made to communicate with the liquid flow channel section 160. The upper and lower surfaces of the wick sheet injection projection 136 may be formed flat, and the upper surface of the lower sheet injection projection 113 and the lower surface of the upper sheet injection projection 123 may also be formed flat. The planar shapes of each injection projection 113, 123, and 136 may be the same.

[0315] In this embodiment, the injection section 104 is shown as being located on one of a pair of side edges in the X direction of the vapor chamber 101, but it is not limited to this and can be located at any position. Furthermore, the injection channel 137 provided in the wick sheet injection projection 136 does not need to penetrate the sheet body 131 as long as it can inject the working fluid 2b. In this case, the injection channel 137 communicating with the vapor channel section 150 can be formed by etching from only one of the first body surface 131a and the second body surface 131b of the sheet body 131. Also, the injection section 104 may be cut and removed during the manufacturing of the vapor chamber 101 after the working fluid 2b has been injected.

[0316] As mentioned above, the wick sheet 130 according to this embodiment is provided with a retraction portion 170 that is drawn in from the outer peripheral edge 132o toward the steam flow path portion 150. In this embodiment, the retraction portion 170 is drawn in from a pair of longitudinal side edges 132a, 132b and a pair of short side edges 132c, 132d of the wick sheet 130, respectively. That is, a retraction portion 170 is provided on each side of the pair of longitudinal side edges 132a, 132b and the pair of short side edges 132c, 132d. The retraction portion 170 may be drawn in from the entire circumference of the outer peripheral edge 132o of the wick sheet 130, excluding the portion where the wick sheet injection projection 136 is provided.

[0317] As mentioned above, the planar shape of the vapor chamber 101 is not limited to a rectangular shape, but may be any shape such as a circular, elliptical, L-shaped, or T-shaped shape. In this case, the retraction portion 170 may be formed along the entire circumference of the outer edge 132o of the wick sheet, or it may be formed at any position on the outer edge 132o of the wick sheet.

[0318] As shown in Figures 36 and 40, in a cross-sectional view along the thickness direction (Z direction) of the wick sheet 130, the retraction portion 170 has a retraction edge 171 extending from the outer peripheral edge 132o of the wick sheet (longitudinal side edges 132a, 132b and transverse side edges 132c, 132d). Here, the outer peripheral edge 132o is the outer peripheral edge of the wick sheet 130 in a plan view as shown in Figure 39, and is located on the side of the upper sheet 120. The retraction edge 171 extends from the outer peripheral edge 132o to the first main body surface 131a and is curved concavely toward the steam flow channel 150. The retraction edge 171 may be formed to approach the steam flow channel 150 as it approaches the first main body surface 131a. In the illustrated example, the recessed edge 171 extends from the outer peripheral edge 121o of the upper sheet 120 toward the outer peripheral edge 111o of the lower sheet 110.

[0319] The dimension ww6 between the outer peripheral edge 121o of the upper sheet 120 and the outer peripheral edge 111o of the lower sheet 110 in the Y direction, as shown in Figure 40, may be, for example, 50 μm to 1000 μm. That is, the retracted portion 170 may be retracted by 50 μm or more and 1000 μm or less from the outer peripheral edge 132o.

[0320] Furthermore, the dimension ww7 between the longitudinal side edge 111a of the lower sheet 110 and the steam flow channel section 150 (first steam passage 151) in the Y direction shown in Figure 40 may be, for example, 30 μm to 3000 μm. Here, this dimension ww7 refers to the dimension on the first main body surface 131a. That is, the inlet section 170 may be provided on the first main body surface 131a at a distance of 30 μm or more and 3000 μm or less from the steam flow channel section 150 (first steam passage 151).

[0321] Such a recessed portion 170 may be formed by etching from the first main surface 131a of the sheet body 131 of the wick sheet 130 in an etching process described later.

[0322] Incidentally, the materials constituting the lower sheet 110, upper sheet 120, and wick sheet 130 are not particularly limited as long as they have good thermal conductivity, but the lower sheet 110, upper sheet 120, and wick sheet 130 may contain, for example, copper or a copper alloy. In this case, the thermal conductivity of each sheet 110, 120, and 130 can be increased, and the heat dissipation efficiency of the vapor chamber 101 can be increased.

[0323] The thickness tt1 of the vapor chamber 101 shown in Figure 36 may be, for example, 100 μm to 1000 μm. By making the thickness tt1 of the vapor chamber 101 100 μm or more, the vapor flow path 150 can be properly secured and the vapor chamber 101 can function properly. On the other hand, by making the thickness tt1 of the vapor chamber 101 1000 μm or less, it is possible to suppress the thickness tt1 of the vapor chamber 101 from becoming too thick.

[0324] The thickness tt2 of the lower sheet 110 shown in Figure 36 may be, for example, 6 μm to 100 μm. By setting the thickness tt2 of the lower sheet 110 to 6 μm or more, the mechanical strength of the lower sheet 110 can be ensured. On the other hand, by setting the thickness tt2 of the lower sheet 110 to 100 μm or less, it is possible to suppress the increase in the thickness tt1 of the vapor chamber 101. Similarly, the thickness tt3 of the upper sheet 120 shown in Figure 36 may be set in the same way as the thickness tt2 of the lower sheet 110. The thickness tt3 of the upper sheet 120 and the thickness tt2 of the lower sheet 110 may be different.

[0325] The thickness tt4 of the wick sheet 130 shown in Figure 36 may be, for example, 50 μm to 400 μm. By setting the thickness tt4 of the wick sheet 130 to 50 μm or more, the vapor flow path section 150 can be properly secured, and the vapor chamber 101 can operate properly. On the other hand, by setting the thickness tt4 of the wick sheet 130 to 400 μm or less, it is possible to suppress the thickness tt1 of the vapor chamber 101 from becoming too thick.

[0326] Next, a method for manufacturing the vapor chamber 101 with this configuration will be explained using Figures 42 to 45.

[0327] Here, we will first describe the sheet preparation process for preparing each sheet 110, 120, and 130. This sheet preparation process includes a lower sheet preparation process for preparing the lower sheet 110, an upper sheet preparation process for preparing the upper sheet 120, and a wick sheet preparation process for preparing the wick sheet 130.

[0328] In the lower sheet preparation process, first, a lower sheet base material having the desired thickness is prepared. The lower sheet base material may be a rolled material. Next, the lower sheet 110 having the desired planar shape is formed by etching the lower sheet base material. Alternatively, the lower sheet 110 having the desired planar shape may be formed by press working the lower sheet base material. As described above, this lower sheet 110 is formed so that, in plan view, it is generally smaller than the upper sheet 120. In this way, a lower sheet 110 having the outer contour shape shown in Figure 37 can be prepared.

[0329] In the upper sheet preparation process, similar to the lower sheet preparation process, first, an upper sheet base material having the desired thickness is prepared. The upper sheet base material may be a rolled material. Next, the upper sheet 120 having the desired planar shape is formed by etching the upper sheet base material. Alternatively, the upper sheet 120 having the desired planar shape may be formed by press working the upper sheet base material. As described above, this upper sheet 120 is formed to be larger overall than the lower sheet 110 in a plan view. In this way, an upper sheet 120 having the outer contour shape shown in Figure 38 can be prepared.

[0330] The wick sheet preparation process includes a material sheet preparation process for preparing a metal material sheet MM, and an etching process for etching the metal material sheet MM.

[0331] First, in the material sheet preparation step, a flat metal material sheet MM is prepared, including a first material surface MMa and a second material surface MMb, as shown in Figure 42. The metal material sheet MM may be formed from a rolled material having a desired thickness.

[0332] Next, in the etching process, as shown in Figure 43, the metal material sheet MM is etched from the first material surface MMa and the second material surface MMb to form the vapor channel section 150, the liquid channel section 160, and the inlet section 170.

[0333] More specifically, a patterned resist film (not shown) is formed on the first material surface MMa and the second material surface MMb of the metal material sheet MM by photolithography. The pattern of this resist film includes the patterns of the vapor channel section 150, liquid channel section 160, and inlet section 170 described above. Subsequently, the first material surface MMa and the second material surface MMb of the metal material sheet MM are etched through the openings in the patterned resist film. As a result, the first material surface MMa and the second material surface MMb of the metal material sheet MM are etched in a patterned manner, forming the vapor channel section 150 and the liquid channel section 160 as shown in Figure 43. In addition, the inlet section 170 is also formed by this etching (etching from the first material surface MMa). For the etching solution, for example, an iron chloride-based etching solution such as an aqueous solution of ferric chloride, or a copper chloride-based etching solution such as an aqueous solution of copper chloride can be used.

[0334] Etching may be performed simultaneously on the first material surface MMa and the second material surface MMb of the metal material sheet MM. However, it is not limited to this, and the etching of the first material surface MMa and the second material surface MMb may be performed as separate processes. Furthermore, the steam flow channel section 150, the liquid flow channel section 160, and the intake section 170 may be formed by etching simultaneously or in separate processes.

[0335] Furthermore, in the etching process, a predetermined outer contour shape as shown in Figure 39 can be obtained by etching the first material surface MMa and the second material surface MMb of the metal material sheet MM. That is, a wick sheet 130 having the aforementioned outer peripheral edge 132o can be obtained.

[0336] Furthermore, the recessed portion 170 is not limited to being formed by etching; for example, it may be formed by cutting or other processes on the edge of the metal material sheet MM after the etching process.

[0337] In this way, the wick sheet 130 according to this embodiment can be prepared.

[0338] After the preparation process, as a joining process, the lower sheet 110, the upper sheet 120, and the wick sheet 130 are joined together, as shown in Figure 44.

[0339] More specifically, first, the lower sheet 110, the wick sheet 130, and the upper sheet 120 are stacked in this order. In this case, the first main surface 131a of the wick sheet 130 is superimposed on the second lower sheet surface 110b of the lower sheet 110, and the first upper sheet surface 120a of the upper sheet 120 is superimposed on the second main surface 131b of the wick sheet 130. At this time, the alignment holes 112 of the lower sheet 110, the alignment holes 135 of the wick sheet 130, and the alignment holes 122 of the upper sheet 120 may be used to align each sheet 110, 120, and 130.

[0340] Next, the lower sheet 110, the wick sheet 130, and the upper sheet 120 are tack-fastened. For example, these sheets 110, 120, and 130 may be tack-fastened by spot resistance welding, or they may be tack-fastened by laser welding.

[0341] Next, the lower sheet 110, the wick sheet 130, and the upper sheet 120 are permanently joined by thermocompression bonding. For example, these sheets 110, 120, and 130 may be permanently joined by diffusion bonding. Diffusion bonding is a method of joining by bringing the lower sheet 110 and the wick sheet 130 to be joined into close contact, and the wick sheet 130 and the upper sheet 120 into close contact, and then applying pressure and heating in the stacking direction in a controlled atmosphere such as a vacuum or in an inert gas, utilizing the diffusion of atoms that occurs at the joining surface. In diffusion bonding, the materials of each sheet 110, 120, and 130 are heated to a temperature close to their melting point, but lower than the melting point, so that the sheets 110, 120, and 130 do not melt and deform. As a result, the first main body surface 131a of the frame portion 132 and each land portion 133 of the wick sheet 130 are diffusion-bonded to the second lower sheet surface 110b of the lower sheet 110. Furthermore, the second main body surface 131b of the frame portion 132 and each land portion 133 of the wick sheet 130 is diffusion-bonded to the first upper sheet surface 120a of the upper sheet 120. In this way, the sheets 110, 120, and 130 are diffusion-bonded, and a sealed space 103 having a steam flow path portion 150 and a liquid flow path portion 160 is formed between the lower sheet 110 and the upper sheet 120. At this stage, the injection flow path 137 described above is not sealed in the sealed space 103, and it is in communication with the outside via the injection flow path 137.

[0342] Following the joining process, the working fluid 2b is injected into the sealed space 103 from the injection channel 137 of the injection section 104 as an injection process.

[0343] After the injection process, the injection channel 137 is sealed as a sealing process. The injection section 104 may be partially melted to seal the injection channel 137. This blocks communication between the sealed space 103 and the outside, and the sealed space 103 is sealed. As a result, a sealed space 103 containing the working fluid 2b is obtained, and leakage of the working fluid 2b from the sealed space 103 to the outside is prevented. After sealing the injection channel 137, the injection section 104 may be removed. The entire injection section 104 may be removed. Alternatively, a part of the injection section 104 may be removed, leaving the remaining part intact.

[0344] As described above, the vapor chamber 101 according to this embodiment is obtained.

[0345] In this way, vapor chambers 101 according to this embodiment can be manufactured sequentially. The manufactured vapor chambers 101 can be stored by stacking them on a mounting surface 179 provided in a predetermined location, as shown in Figure 45. Subsequently, the vapor chambers 101 are removed from this mounting location and transported when shipping or when mounting them to device D.

[0346] Next, the method for transporting the vapor chambers 101 manufactured in this manner will be explained using Figures 46 and 47. Here, we will describe a method for removing and transporting the vapor chambers 101 from a state in which they are stacked on top of each other, as shown in Figure 45.

[0347] First, as shown in Figure 46, the claws 182a and 182b of the first arm portion 181a and the second arm portion 181b of the suspension device 180 are engaged with the retraction portion 170 of the wick sheet 130, respectively.

[0348] More specifically, first, the first arm portion 181a is moved vertically so that the first claw portion 182a, located at the tip of the first arm portion 181a, is positioned at the location of the retraction portion 170 in the Z direction of the vapor chamber 101, which is mounted at the top. Next, the second arm portion 181b is moved vertically so that the second claw portion 182b, located at the tip of the second arm portion 181b, is positioned at the location of the retraction portion 170 in the Z direction of the vapor chamber 101. Subsequently, the first arm portion 181a is moved horizontally so that the first claw portion 182a is brought into contact with the retraction edge 171 of the retraction portion 170, which is located on one side (the left side in Figure 46) in the Y direction. Similarly, the second arm portion 181b is moved horizontally to bring the second claw portion 182b into contact with the retraction edge 171 of the retraction portion 170 provided on the other side in the Y direction (right side in Figure 46).

[0349] Next, as shown in Figure 47, the vapor chamber 101 is suspended by the suspension device 180.

[0350] More specifically, with the first claw portion 182a and the second claw portion 182b in contact with the retraction edge 171 of the retraction portion 170, the first arm portion 181a and the second arm portion 181b are moved upward. As a result, the wick sheet 130 is supported by the first claw portion 182a and the second claw portion 182b, and the vapor chamber 101 is suspended by the suspension device 180.

[0351] Then, with the vapor chamber 101 suspended by the suspension device 180, the first arm portion 181a and the second arm portion 181b are moved horizontally to transport the vapor chamber 101 to the desired target position.

[0352] In this way, the vapor chamber 101 according to this embodiment can be transported by the suspension device 180.

[0353] In this description, we have explained a method for removing and transporting the vapor chambers 101 from a state where the vapor chambers 101 are stacked on top of each other. However, this is not the only method; even when the vapor chambers 101 are placed directly on the mounting surface 179, the vapor chambers 101 can be transported using the suspension device 180.

[0354] Here, a general method for transporting a vapor chamber 101' will be described. As shown in Figure 48, the sides of a typical vapor chamber 101' are formed vertically, and unlike the vapor chamber 101 in this embodiment, the wick sheet 30 does not have a retraction section 170. For this reason, the claws 182a and 182b of the suspension device 180 cannot be engaged with the retraction section 170, making it difficult to transport a typical vapor chamber 101' using the suspension device 180 described above.

[0355] A typical vapor chamber 101' can be removed and transported by a suction device 185, as shown in Figure 48. More specifically, the suction device 185 has a suction pad 186 that generates suction force by creating negative pressure inside, and this suction pad 186 is pressed against the upper surface of the vapor chamber 101' to cause it to adhere to the vapor chamber 101'. Then, with the vapor chamber 101' held in place by the suction pad 186, the suction device 185 is moved upward to suspend the vapor chamber 101'. Finally, the suction device 185 is moved horizontally to transport the vapor chamber 101' to the desired target position.

[0356] In this case, if the vapor chamber 101' is made thinner, the suction force from the suction pad 186 acting on the upper surface of the vapor chamber 101' may cause the vapor chamber 101' to deform. For this reason, the thinning of the vapor chamber 101' may be suppressed in order to prevent deformation of the vapor chamber 101'.

[0357] In contrast, in this embodiment, the wick sheet 130 of the vapor chamber 101 is provided with a retraction portion 170. This allows the claw portions 182a and 182b of the suspension device 180 to engage with the retraction portion 170 of the wick sheet 130 of the placed vapor chamber 101. As a result, the vapor chamber 101 can be suspended and transported by the suspension device 180, eliminating the need to use the suction device 185 described above. This suppresses deformation of the vapor chamber 101. As a result, further thinning of the vapor chamber 101 can be achieved.

[0358] The transport of the vapor chamber 101 using the suspension device 180 described above is just one example, and the vapor chamber 101 can be transported using any other device. For example, the vapor chamber 101 may be transported using a tool with a pointed tip. More specifically, the tip of the tool may be brought into contact with the retraction edge 171 of the retraction section 170, and then the tool may be moved upward to lift the vapor chamber 101. The lifted vapor chamber 101 may then be grasped by hand and transported. Alternatively, for example, without using such a device or tool, the vapor chamber 101 may be lifted by placing a finger against the retraction edge 171 of the retraction section 170, and then the vapor chamber 101 may be grasped and transported. Even in such cases, the presence of the retraction section 170 in the wick sheet 130 makes it easy to remove and transport the vapor chamber 101.

[0359] Next, we will explain how the vapor chamber 101 operates, that is, how device D is cooled.

[0360] As described above, the vapor chamber 101, having been transported, is installed inside a housing H of a mobile terminal or the like at the destination, with the housing member Ha and the second upper sheet surface 120b of the upper sheet 120 in contact. Also, a device D such as a CPU, which is the device to be cooled, is attached to the first lower sheet surface 110a of the lower sheet 110 (or the vapor chamber 101 is attached to the device D), with the first lower sheet surface 110a of the lower sheet 110 and the device D in contact. The working fluid 2b in the sealed space 103 adheres to the walls of the sealed space 103 due to its surface tension, namely the wall surface 153a of the lower vapor flow recess 153, the wall surface 154a of the upper vapor flow recess 154, the wall surface 162 of the main liquid flow channel groove 161 of the liquid flow channel section 160, and the wall surface of the liquid flow channel connecting groove 165. Furthermore, the working fluid 2b may also adhere to the portion of the second lower seat surface 110b of the lower seat 110 that is exposed to the lower vapor flow channel recess 153, the liquid flow channel main groove 161, and the liquid flow channel connecting groove 165. In addition, the working fluid 2b may also adhere to the portion of the first upper seat surface 120a of the upper seat 120 that is exposed to the upper vapor flow channel recess 154.

[0361] When device D generates heat in this state, the working fluid 2b present in the evaporation region SSR (see Figure 39) receives heat from device D. The received heat is absorbed as latent heat, causing the working fluid 2b to evaporate (vaporize), and working steam 2a is generated. Much of the generated working steam 2a diffuses within the lower steam flow channel recess 153 and the upper steam flow channel recess 154 that constitute the sealed space 103 (see solid arrows in Figure 39). The working steam 2a in each steam flow channel recess 153 and 154 leaves the evaporation region SSR, and much of the working steam 2a is transported to the relatively lower temperature condensation region CCR (the right-hand portion in Figure 39). In the condensation region CCR, the working steam 2a is cooled mainly by radiating heat to the upper sheet 120. The heat received by the upper sheet 120 from the working steam 2a is transferred to the outside air via the housing member Ha (see Figure 36).

[0362] The working vapor 2a condenses in the evaporation region SSR by releasing heat to the upper sheet 120 in the condensation region CCR, losing the latent heat absorbed in the evaporation region SSR, and generating working fluid 2b. The generated working fluid 2b adheres to the walls 153a and 154a of the vapor channel recesses 153 and 154, the second lower sheet surface 110b of the lower sheet 110, and the first upper sheet surface 120a of the upper sheet 120. Here, since the working fluid 2b continues to evaporate in the evaporation region SSR, the working fluid 2b in the region of the liquid channel section 160 other than the evaporation region SSR (i.e., the condensation region CCR) is transported toward the evaporation region SSR by the capillary action of the main channel grooves 161 of each liquid channel (see dashed arrows in Figure 39). As a result, the working fluid 2b adhering to each wall surface 153a, 154a, the second lower seat surface 110b, and the first upper seat surface 120a moves to the fluid flow channel section 160, passes through the fluid flow channel connecting groove 165, and enters the fluid flow channel main channel groove 161. In this way, the working fluid 2b fills each fluid flow channel main channel groove 161 and each fluid flow channel connecting groove 165. Therefore, the filled working fluid 2b gains a propulsive force toward the evaporation region SSR due to the capillary action of each fluid flow channel main channel groove 161 and is smoothly transported toward the evaporation region SSR.

[0363] In the liquid flow channel section 160, each liquid flow channel main channel groove 161 is connected to an adjacent liquid flow channel main channel groove 161 via a corresponding liquid flow channel connecting groove 165. As a result, the working fluid 2b flows back and forth between adjacent liquid flow channel main channel grooves 161, suppressing the occurrence of dryout in the liquid flow channel main channel grooves 161. Therefore, capillary action is imparted to the working fluid 2b in each liquid flow channel main channel groove 161, and the working fluid 2b is smoothly transported toward the evaporation region SSR.

[0364] The working fluid 2b, upon reaching the evaporation region SSR, receives heat again from the device D and evaporates. The working vapor 2a evaporated from the working fluid 2b moves through the liquid flow channel connecting groove 165 within the evaporation region SSR to the lower vapor flow channel recess 153 and the upper vapor flow channel recess 154, which have larger flow channel cross-sectional areas, and diffuses within each vapor flow channel recess 153 and 154. In this way, the working fluids 2a and 2b recirculate within the sealed space 103 while repeatedly undergoing phase changes, i.e., evaporation and condensation, transporting and releasing heat from the device D. As a result, the device D is cooled.

[0365] As described above, according to this embodiment, the wick sheet 130 has a retractable portion 170 that is drawn in from its outer peripheral edge 132o toward the steam flow path portion 150. This allows the claws 182a, 182b, etc. of the suspension device 180 to engage with the retractable portion 170 of the wick sheet 130 of the placed vapor chamber 101. As a result, the vapor chamber 101 can be easily lifted, and the transport of the vapor chamber 101 can be facilitated. Consequently, the transportability of the vapor chamber 101 can be improved.

[0366] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to eliminate the need to use the suction device 185 for transporting the vapor chamber 101. Therefore, deformation of the vapor chamber 101 can be suppressed. As a result, further thinning of the vapor chamber 101 can be achieved.

[0367] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since the retraction portion 170 is formed on the side surface of the wick sheet 130, when multiple vapor chambers 101 are stacked on top of each other, each vapor chamber 101 can be easily identified from the side. This makes it easier to remove and transport each vapor chamber 101 individually. Therefore, the transportability of the vapor chambers 101 can be improved.

[0368] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since the wick sheet 130 has a retraction portion 170, the vapor chamber 101 can be made lighter and more space-saving.

[0369] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the inlet edge 171 of the inlet section 170 is curved concavely toward the steam flow path section 150. This allows the vapor chamber 101 to be firmly supported and lifted by the claws 182a, 182b, etc. of the suspension device 180. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 101 can be further improved.

[0370] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the retraction edge 171 of the retraction section 170 is formed to approach the steam flow path section 150 as it approaches the first main body surface 131a. This allows the claws 182a, 182b, etc. of the suspension device 180 to support and lift the vapor chamber 101 more firmly. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 101 can be further improved.

[0371] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the retraction portion 170 is retracted from a pair of longitudinal side edges 132a, 132b and a pair of transverse side edges 132c, 132d of the wick sheet 130, respectively. This allows the claws 182a, 182b, etc., of the suspension device 180 to engage with the retraction portion 170 of the wick sheet 130 from any direction in a plan view of the placed vapor chamber 101, thereby lifting the vapor chamber 101. This makes lifting the vapor chamber 101 even easier. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 101 can be further improved.

[0372] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the vapor passage section 150 penetrates from the first main body surface 131a to the second main body surface 131b, and the upper sheet 120 covers the vapor passage section 150 on the second main body surface 131b. By configuring the vapor chamber 101 in this way with the lower sheet 110, the upper sheet 120, and the wick sheet 130, the heat received by the lower sheet 110 from the device D can be released from the upper sheet 120. This allows the device D to be cooled effectively. Therefore, the performance of the vapor chamber 101 can be improved.

[0373] Furthermore, the vapor chamber 101 may have a configuration symmetrical to the above-described configuration in the Z direction. That is, the lower sheet 110 may be formed to be larger overall than the upper sheet 120 in a plan view, and the retraction edge 171 of the retraction portion 170 may extend from the outer peripheral edge 111o of the lower sheet 110 toward the outer peripheral edge 121o of the upper sheet 120. Even in such a case, the vapor chamber 101 can be easily lifted by bringing the claws 182a, 182b, etc. of the suspension device 180 into contact with the retraction edge 171 of the retraction portion 170 and moving it upward when the vapor chamber 101 is placed in the opposite direction, that is, when the second upper sheet surface 120b of the upper sheet 120 faces the mounting surface 179. This makes it possible to transport the vapor chamber 101. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 101 can be improved.

[0374] (First modified example of the third embodiment) In the third embodiment described above, an example was described in which the inlet edge 171 of the inlet section 170 is curved concave toward the steam flow path section 150 (see Figure 36). However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and as shown in Figure 49, the inlet edge 171 of the inlet section 170 may be inclined with respect to the Z direction.

[0375] In the example shown in Figure 49, the recessed edge 171 extends from the outer peripheral edge 132o to the first main body surface 131a and is inclined with respect to the Z direction. The recessed edge 171 is formed to approach the steam flow channel section 150 as it approaches the first main body surface 131a. The recessed edge 171 extends linearly from the outer peripheral edge 121o of the upper sheet 120 to the outer peripheral edge 111o of the lower sheet 110. Therefore, in a cross-sectional view along the Z direction, the outer shape of the wick sheet 130 is an inverted trapezoid shape, as shown in Figure 49.

[0376] Even in such cases, the claws 182a, 182b, etc. of the suspension device 180 can be engaged with the retraction portion 170 of the wick sheet 130. This allows the vapor chamber 101 to be easily lifted, facilitating its transport. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 101 can be improved.

[0377] Furthermore, because the retraction edge 171 is inclined with respect to the Z direction, the vapor chamber 101 can be easily lifted by bringing the claws 182a, 182b, etc. of the suspension device 180 into contact with the retraction edge 171 of the retraction section 170 and moving it upward. This further improves the transportability of the vapor chamber 101.

[0378] (Second modified example of the third embodiment) Furthermore, in the third embodiment described above, an example was described in which the inlet edge 171 of the inlet section 170 is curved concave toward the steam flow path section 150 (see Figure 36). However, the invention is not limited to this, and as shown in Figure 50, the inlet edge 171 of the inlet section 170 may be curved convex toward the opposite side from the steam flow path section 150.

[0379] In the example shown in Figure 50, the retraction edge 171 extends from the outer peripheral edge 132o to the first main body surface 131a and is curved convexly toward the opposite side from the steam flow channel 150. The retraction edge 171 is formed to approach the steam flow channel 150 as it approaches the first main body surface 131a. The retraction edge 171 extends from the outer peripheral edge 121o of the upper sheet 120 toward the outer peripheral edge 111o of the lower sheet 110.

[0380] Even in such cases, the claws 182a, 182b, etc. of the suspension device 180 can be engaged with the retraction portion 170 of the wick sheet 130. This allows the vapor chamber 101 to be easily lifted, facilitating its transport. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 101 can be improved.

[0381] (Third modified example of the third embodiment) Furthermore, in the third embodiment described above, an example was described in which the inlet edge 171 of the inlet section 170 is curved concave toward the steam flow path section 150 (see Figure 36). However, it is not limited to this, and as shown in Figure 51, the inlet edge 171 of the inlet section 170 may include a first inlet edge 171a extending toward the second main body surface 131b, a second inlet edge 171b extending toward the first main body surface 131a, and a stepped connecting edge 171c connecting the first inlet edge 171a and the second inlet edge 171b.

[0382] In the example shown in Figure 51, the recessed edge 171 includes a first recessed edge 171a, a second recessed edge 171b, and a stepped connecting edge 171c connecting the first recessed edge 171a and the second recessed edge 171b. The first recessed edge 171a is provided on the side of the first main body surface 131a. The second recessed edge 171b is provided on the side of the second main body surface 131b. The first recessed edge 171a is located on the steam flow path section 150 side than the second recessed edge 171b. The first recessed edge 171a extends linearly in the Z direction from the first main body surface 131a toward the second main body surface 131b. The first recessed edge 171a may extend, for example, to an intermediate position between the first main body surface 131a and the second main body surface 131b. The second retraction edge 171b extends linearly in the Z direction from the second main body surface 131b toward the first main body surface 131a. The second retraction edge 171b may extend, for example, to an intermediate position between the first main body surface 131a and the second main body surface 131b. The stepped connecting edge 171c extends linearly from the first retraction edge 171a toward the second retraction edge 171b so as to connect the first retraction edge 171a and the second retraction edge 171b. Thus, in a cross-sectional view along the Z direction, the retraction edge 171 of the retraction section 170 is formed in a stepped shape.

[0383] Even in such cases, the claws 182a, 182b, etc. of the suspension device 180 can be engaged with the retraction portion 170 of the wick sheet 130. This allows the vapor chamber 101 to be easily lifted, facilitating its transport. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 101 can be improved.

[0384] Furthermore, the presence of a stepped connecting edge 171c connecting the first retraction edge 171a and the second retraction edge 171b allows the vapor chamber 101 to be firmly supported and lifted by the claws 182a, 182b, etc., of the suspension device 180. This further improves the transportability of the vapor chamber 101.

[0385] (Fourth modified example of the third embodiment) Furthermore, in the third embodiment described above, an example was described in which the inlet edge 171 of the inlet section 170 is formed to approach the steam flow path section 150 as it approaches the first main body surface 131a (see Figure 36). However, the invention is not limited to this, and as shown in Figure 52, the inlet edge 171 of the inlet section 170 may be formed to approach the steam flow path section 150 as it approaches the relay point 172 from the outer peripheral edge 132o, and to move away from the steam flow path section 150 as it approaches the first main body surface 131a from the relay point 172.

[0386] In the example shown in Figure 52, unlike the embodiment described above, the lower sheet 110 and the upper sheet 120 are formed to be the same size in a plan view. In a plan view, the outer edge 111o of the lower sheet 110 and the outer edge 121o of the upper sheet 120 overlap. That is, in a plan view, the longitudinal side edges 111a, 111b and the transverse side edges 111c, 111d of the lower sheet 110 overlap the longitudinal side edges 121a, 121b and the transverse side edges 121c, 121d of the upper sheet 120, respectively.

[0387] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 52, the outer peripheral edge 132o of the wick sheet 130 in plan view is located on the side of the second main body surface 131b. In this case, the retraction edge 171 of the retraction section 170 extends from the outer peripheral edge 132o through the intermediate point 172 to the first main body surface 131a. The intermediate point 172 may be located at an intermediate position between the first main body surface 131a and the second main body surface 131b in the Z direction. The retraction edge 171 is curved concave toward the steam flow section 150. The retraction edge 171 is formed to move closer to the steam flow section 150 as it approaches the intermediate point 172 from the outer peripheral edge 132o, and to move away from the steam flow section 150 as it approaches the first main body surface 131a from the intermediate point 172. Due to this recessed edge 171, the recessed section 170 has a shape that is recessed in the central part of the wick sheet 130, on the side of the steam flow path 150.

[0388] Even in such cases, the claws 182a, 182b, etc. of the suspension device 180 can be engaged with the retraction portion 170 of the wick sheet 130. This allows the vapor chamber 101 to be easily lifted, facilitating its transport. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 101 can be improved.

[0389] Furthermore, because the inlet edge 171 of the inlet section 170 is curved concave toward the steam flow path section 150, the claws 182a, 182b, etc. of the suspension device 180 can firmly support and lift the vapor chamber 101. This further improves the transportability of the vapor chamber 101.

[0390] Furthermore, even if the vapor chamber 101 is placed in the opposite direction, that is, even if the second upper sheet surface 120b of the upper sheet 120 faces the mounting surface 179, the vapor chamber 101 can be easily lifted by bringing the claws 182a, 182b, etc. of the suspension device 180 into contact with the retraction edge 171 of the retraction section 170 and moving it upward. Therefore, even if the vapor chamber 101 is placed in the opposite direction, the transport of the vapor chamber 101 can be made easier. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 101 can be further improved.

[0391] (Fifth modified example of the third embodiment) Furthermore, in the third embodiment described above, an example was described in which, in a cross-sectional view along the Z direction, the retraction edge 171 of the retraction portion 170 has a retraction edge 171 extending from the outer peripheral edge 132o (see Figure 36). However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and as shown in Figure 53, the retraction portion 170 may include a first main body surface side retraction portion 174 and a second main body surface side retraction portion 175, and in a cross-sectional view along the Z direction, the first main body surface side retraction portion 174 may have a first main body surface side retraction edge 176, and the second main body surface side retraction portion 175 may have a second main body surface side retraction edge 177.

[0392] In the example shown in Figure 53, unlike the embodiment described above, the lower sheet 110 and the upper sheet 120 are formed to be the same size in a plan view. In a plan view, the outer edge 111o of the lower sheet 110 and the outer edge 121o of the upper sheet 120 overlap. That is, in a plan view, the longitudinal side edges 111a, 111b and the transverse side edges 111c, 111d of the lower sheet 110 overlap the longitudinal side edges 121a, 121b and the transverse side edges 121c, 121d of the upper sheet 120, respectively.

[0393] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 53, the retractable portion 170 includes a first main body surface side retractable portion 174 provided on the side of the first main body surface 131a and a second main body surface side retractable portion 175 provided on the side of the second main body surface 131b. In plan view, the outer peripheral edge 132o of the wick sheet 130 is located between the first main body surface 131a and the second main body surface 131b. The outer peripheral edge 132o of the wick sheet 130 is formed to protrude outward from the outer peripheral edge 111o of the lower sheet 110 and the outer peripheral edge 121o of the upper sheet 120. The first main body surface side retraction portion 174 is formed on the side of the first main body surface 131a that is closer to the outer peripheral edge 132o, and the second main body surface side retraction portion 175 is formed on the side of the second main body surface 131b that is closer to the outer peripheral edge 132o.

[0394] In a cross-sectional view along the Z direction, the first main body surface side inlet portion 174 has a first main body surface side inlet edge 176 extending from the outer peripheral edge 132o to the first main body surface 131a. The first main body surface side inlet edge 176 curves concavely toward the steam flow channel 150 as it approaches the first main body surface 131a. As a result, the first main body surface side inlet portion 174 has a shape that appears to be recessed toward the steam flow channel 150 on the side of the first main body surface 131a.

[0395] Furthermore, in a cross-sectional view along the Z direction, the second main body surface side inlet portion 175 has a second main body surface side inlet edge 177 that extends from the outer peripheral edge 132o to the second main body surface 131b. The second main body surface side inlet edge 177 curves concavely toward the steam flow channel 150 as it approaches the second main body surface 131b. As a result, the second main body surface side inlet portion 175 has a shape that appears to be recessed toward the steam flow channel 150 on the side of the second main body surface 131b.

[0396] Even in such cases, the claws 182a, 182b, etc. of the suspension device 180 can be engaged with the first main body side retraction portion 174. As a result, the vapor chamber 101 can be easily lifted, and the transport of the vapor chamber 101 can be facilitated. Consequently, the transportability of the vapor chamber 101 can be improved.

[0397] Furthermore, because the first main body side retraction edge 176 of the first main body side retraction portion 174 is curved concave toward the steam flow path portion 150, the vapor chamber 101 can be firmly supported and lifted by the claw portions 182a, 182b, etc. of the suspension device 180. This further improves the transportability of the vapor chamber 101.

[0398] Furthermore, even if the vapor chamber 101 is placed in the opposite direction, that is, even if the second upper sheet surface 120b of the upper sheet 120 faces the mounting surface 179, the vapor chamber 101 can be easily lifted by bringing the claws 182a, 182b, etc. of the suspension device 180 into contact with the second main body side retraction edge 177 of the second main body side retraction part 175 and moving it upward. Therefore, even if the vapor chamber 101 is placed in the opposite direction, the transport of the vapor chamber 101 can be made easier. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 101 can be further improved.

[0399] (Sixth modified example of the third embodiment) Furthermore, in the third embodiment described above, an example was described in which the retractable portion 170 is retracted from a pair of longitudinal side edges 132a, 132b and a pair of transverse side edges 132c, 132d of the wick sheet 130, respectively (see Figure 35). However, the invention is not limited to this, and the retractable portion 170 may be retracted from at least one of the pair of longitudinal side edges 132a, 132b of the wick sheet 130.

[0400] In the examples shown in Figures 54 and 55, the retractable portion 170 is retracted from the longitudinal side edge 132a (lower side in Figure 54) of the wick sheet 130. That is, the retractable portion 170 is provided on the side of the longitudinal side edge 132a of the wick sheet 130. On the other hand, the retractable portion 170 is not retracted from the longitudinal side edge 132b (upper side in Figure 54) or the short side edges 132c and 132d of the wick sheet 130.

[0401] Even in such cases, the claws 182a, 182b, etc. of the suspension device 180 can be engaged with the retraction portion 170 of the wick sheet 130. This allows the vapor chamber 101 to be easily lifted, facilitating its transport. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 101 can be improved.

[0402] Furthermore, by limiting the area where the intake section 170 is provided, the area of ​​the vapor chamber 101 can be effectively utilized. In other words, the vapor flow path section 150 and the liquid flow path section 160 can be provided over a wider area of ​​the wick sheet 130, thereby improving the performance of the vapor chamber 101.

[0403] (Seventh modified example of the third embodiment) Furthermore, the retractable portion 170 may be retracted from one of the pair of longitudinal side edges 132a and 132b of the wick sheet 130, as well as from one of the pair of transverse side edges 132c and 132d of the wick sheet 130.

[0404] In the example shown in Figure 56, the retractable portion 170 is retracted from both the longitudinal side edge 132a (lower side in Figure 56) and the short side edge 132c (left side in Figure 56) of the wick sheet 130. That is, the retractable portion 170 is provided on the longitudinal side edge 132a of the wick sheet 130, and also on the short side edge 132c of the wick sheet 130. On the other hand, the retractable portion 170 is not retracted from the longitudinal side edge 132b (upper side in Figure 56) and the short side edge 132d (left side in Figure 56) of the wick sheet 130.

[0405] Even in such cases, the claws 182a, 182b, etc. of the suspension device 180 can be engaged with the retraction portion 170 of the wick sheet 130. This allows the vapor chamber 101 to be easily lifted, facilitating its transport. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 101 can be improved.

[0406] Furthermore, by limiting the area where the intake section 170 is provided, the area of ​​the vapor chamber 101 can be effectively utilized. In other words, the vapor flow path section 150 and the liquid flow path section 160 can be provided over a wider area of ​​the wick sheet 130, thereby improving the performance of the vapor chamber 101.

[0407] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 56, the side of the vapor chamber 101 with the retraction section 170 (the side with the longitudinal side edge 132a and the transverse side edge 132c) can be lifted and transported, and the side of the vapor chamber 101 without the retraction section 170 (the side with the longitudinal side edge 132b and the transverse side edge 132d) can be abutted against a predetermined wall surface. This makes it easier to position the vapor chamber 101 relative to the wall surface. For example, when printing manufacturing information, etc., by irradiating a laser beam to a predetermined position on the vapor chamber 101, it becomes possible to print at an accurate position. Also, even after the vapor chamber 101 is abutted against the wall surface, the vapor chamber 101 can be easily lifted from the side with the retraction section 170. This improves the transportability of the vapor chamber 101.

[0408] (Eighth modified example of the third embodiment) Furthermore, the retractable portion 170 may be retracted from a part of the pair of longitudinal side edges 132a, 132b of the wick sheet 130.

[0409] In the example shown in Figure 57, the retractable sections 170 are retracted from both of the pair of longitudinal side edges 132a and 132b of the wick sheet 130. That is, retractable sections 170 are provided on each side of the pair of longitudinal side edges 132a and 132b of the wick sheet 130. Furthermore, each retractable section 170 is retracted from a portion of the longitudinal side edges 132a and 132b.

[0410] Each retraction section 170 may be retracted from the central part of the longitudinal side edges 132a, 132b. In addition, each retraction section 170 may be positioned symmetrically with respect to the center of gravity of the vapor chamber 101 in a plan view.

[0411] Even in such cases, the claws 182a, 182b, etc. of the suspension device 180 can be engaged with the retraction portion 170 of the wick sheet 130. This allows the vapor chamber 101 to be easily lifted, facilitating its transport. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 101 can be improved.

[0412] Furthermore, by further restricting the area in which the intake section 170 is provided, the area of ​​the vapor chamber 101 can be utilized more effectively. In other words, the vapor flow path section 150 and the liquid flow path section 160 can be provided in a wider area of ​​the wick sheet 130, thereby further improving the performance of the vapor chamber 101.

[0413] Furthermore, by positioning each retraction section 170 symmetrically with respect to the center of gravity of the vapor chamber 101 in a plan view, the posture of the vapor chamber 101 can be stabilized when it is suspended by the suspension device 180 or the like. This makes it easier to transport the vapor chamber 101.

[0414] (Ninth modified example of the third embodiment) Furthermore, in the third embodiment described above, an example was described in which the vapor chamber 101 is provided with one wick sheet 130 (see Figure 36). However, the vapor chamber 101 is not limited to this, and may be provided with multiple wick sheets 130.

[0415] The number of wick sheets 130 is arbitrary. Each wick sheet 130 may have the same shape and dimensions as the others, or it may have different shapes and dimensions as the others. For example, each wick sheet 130 may be formed to be the same size in a plan view. Alternatively, for example, one wick sheet 130 may be formed to be smaller overall than the other wick sheets 130 in a plan view.

[0416] Even in such cases, the claws 182a, 182b, etc. of the suspension device 180 can be engaged with the retraction portion 170 of the wick sheet 130. This allows the vapor chamber 101 to be easily lifted, facilitating its transport. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 101 can be improved.

[0417] (Tenth modified example of the third embodiment) Furthermore, in the third embodiment described above, an example was described in which the vapor chamber 101 is composed of a lower sheet 110, an upper sheet 120, and a wick sheet 130 (see Figure 36). However, the vapor chamber 101 is not limited to this, and may be composed of a lower sheet 110 and a wick sheet 130.

[0418] In the example shown in Figure 58, the vapor chamber 101 includes a lower sheet 110 and a wick sheet 130, but does not include an upper sheet 120. The housing member Ha may be attached to the second main body surface 131b of the wick sheet 130. The heat of the working steam 2a is transferred from the wick sheet 130 to the housing member Ha.

[0419] In the example shown in Figure 58, the steam passage section 150 is provided on the first main body surface 131a, but does not extend to the second main body surface 131b and does not penetrate the wick sheet 130. That is, the first steam passage 151 and the second steam passage 152 of the steam passage section 150 are composed of the lower steam passage recess 153, and the wick sheet 130 does not have an upper steam passage recess 154.

[0420] The thickness tt5 of the vapor chamber 101 shown in Figure 58 may be, for example, 100 μm to 1000 μm. The thickness tt6 of the lower sheet 110 shown in Figure 58 may be, for example, 6 μm to 200 μm. The thickness tt7 of the wick sheet 130 shown in Figure 58 may be, for example, 50 μm to 800 μm.

[0421] The example shown in Figure 58 is not limited to this, and a steam passage section 150 may be provided on the second lower sheet surface 110b of the lower sheet 110. In this case, the steam passage section 150 of the lower sheet 110 may be located opposite the steam passage section 150 of the wick sheet 130. Furthermore, a liquid passage section 160 may be provided on the second lower sheet surface 110b of the lower sheet 110.

[0422] Thus, the vapor chamber 101 may be composed of a lower sheet 110 and a wick sheet 130.

[0423] Even in such cases, the claws 182a, 182b, etc. of the suspension device 180 can be engaged with the retraction portion 170 of the wick sheet 130. This allows the vapor chamber 101 to be easily lifted, facilitating its transport. As a result, the transportability of the vapor chamber 101 can be improved.

[0424] According to the embodiments described above, the transportability of the vapor chamber can be improved.

[0425] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and their respective modifications, and in the implementation stage, the components can be modified and embodied without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, various inventions can be formed by appropriate combinations of the multiple components disclosed in the above embodiments and their respective modifications. Some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the above embodiments and their respective modifications.

Claims

[Claim 1] A vapor chamber in which a working fluid is sealed, A main body sheet having a first main body surface and a second main body surface provided on the opposite side of the first main body surface, The space provided on the first main body surface of the main body sheet, A first sheet laminated on the first main body surface of the main body sheet to cover the space, A vapor chamber comprising, in a plan view, a retractable portion that is retracted on the side of the space portion than the outer edge of the main sheet or the first sheet.

Images