Additive Vapor Chamber Wick Structure for Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air-cooling thermal management architectures for high-density power electronic devices face limitations due to high thermal resistance, which is exacerbated by the increasing waste heat load from electrification and clean-energy-production technologies, and vapor chamber heat spreaders offer a more effective solution but require innovative manufacturing methods to enhance performance.
Innovation Solution
A vapor chamber with a wick structure created using an additive selective laser sintering process, involving multiple copper powder layers deposited and selectively fused, allowing for the formation of a porous multi-layer wick structure that integrates surface features and micro-structures not easily attainable through traditional methods, optimizing heat transfer and fluid flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional air-cooling thermal management architectures are used, then the system is simple and easy to manufacture, but thermal resistance becomes excessively large for high-density power electronic devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a porous wick structure made of sintered metal particles that enables capillary action for passive liquid pumping in vapor chambers. The porous material allows liquid transport without mechanical pumps while maintaining structural integrity, resolving the contradiction between effective heat management and manufacturing simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes phase transitions of working fluid between liquid and vapor states within the vapor chamber to achieve passive heat spreading. The phase change mechanism enables efficient heat transport without complex active cooling systems, improving thermal management effectiveness while avoiding complex manufacturing.
2Reliability
If vapor chamber heat spreaders are implemented, then thermal resistance is significantly reduced, but conventional manufacturing methods cannot achieve optimal wick structure geometries
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from conventional 2D wick structures to 3D porous architectures through selective laser sintering. This dimensional enhancement allows complex internal geometries and optimized capillary pathways that improve heat transport efficiency while achieving precise geometric control through additive manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the manufacturing parameters from subtractive or formative methods to additive selective laser sintering, enabling precise control of pore size, distribution, and wick structure geometry. This parameter change achieves optimal capillary action characteristics for improved heat transport efficiency.
3Manufacturing precision
If additive selective laser sintering is used to create wick structure, then complex geometries and optimized heat transfer surfaces are achieved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple manufacturing operations into a single additive manufacturing process. The selective laser sintering process simultaneously creates the vapor chamber housing, integrates the wick structure, and forms complex internal geometries in one operation, reducing overall manufacturing process complexity despite the advanced technology used.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables efficient passive heat spreading with reduced thermal resistance, improved reliability, and effective heat transport, addressing the limitations of conventional thermal management systems by leveraging additive manufacturing to create complex geometries that enhance cooling performance.
Implementation Method 1
a vapor chamber includes a wick structure created by an additive selective laser sintering process
Implementation Method 2
the first copper powder layer is subsequently selectively fused via a fusing instrument. The second copper powder layer is deposited across the first copper powder layer, wherein the second copper powder layer is subsequently selectively fused via the fusing instrument
Implementation Method 3
A porous wick structure lining the chamber pumps liquid back to the heat sources via capillary action
Implementation Method 4
The vapor chamber can be filled with a working fluid that evaporates when locally heated. The vapor flows away from the hotspot
Implementation Method 5
The vapor flows away from the hotspot and condenses over a diffuse heat rejection surface
Implementation Method 6
Conduction heat spreading from devices to the heat rejection surfaces
Data Source
AI summary
A vapor chamber includes a wick structure created by an additive selective laser sintering process. The wick structure includes a substrate, a first copper powder layer, a second copper powder layer, and a plurality of additional layers. The first copper powder layer is deposited across the substrate, wherein the first copper powder layer is subsequently selectively fused via a fusing instrument. The second copper powder layer is deposited across the first copper powder layer, wherein the second copper powder layer is subsequently selectively fused via the fusing instrument. Additionally, a plurality of additional copper powder layers are deposited wherein each additional layer is deposited on the previous layer, wherein each of the additional copper powder layers is selectively fused with a predetermined structure.