Closed-Channel Semiconductor Cooler for Cost-Effective Heat Dissipation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling technologies for semiconductor elements in power converters are inefficient and costly, necessitating improved thermal management solutions to prevent electronic failures due to thermal overloads.
Innovation Solution
A method for producing a cooling apparatus with a closed channel structure, involving a base body with channels connected by grooves, filled with a heat transfer fluid, and sealed to form a heat pipe or vapor chamber, using extrusion and pressing techniques to create a reliable and cost-effective thermal interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cooling technologies are used for semiconductor elements, then thermal management is provided, but the cooling efficiency is insufficient and production costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
The base body is segmented into multiple channels separated by webs, with each channel independently formed and then connected through groove removal. This segmentation allows for simplified manufacturing of individual channel structures while achieving complex multi-channel cooling configurations that improve thermal management efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple channels that are initially separated by webs are merged into a connected cooling network by removing web portions between adjacent channels. This merging creates an integrated cooling system that maintains structural integrity while enabling efficient heat dissipation across multiple pathways.
2Temperature
If channels are opened in the base body for heat transfer, then heat dissipation is improved, but the channels require sealing to form a closed structure
Solution Approach 1:
Grooves are preliminarily formed in the base body at predetermined locations before the channels are sealed. These grooves serve as preparation features that guide the sealing process and ensure proper alignment when the channels are closed, simplifying the overall sealing operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The webs act as intermediary structures that temporarily separate channels during manufacturing and then serve as the material to be removed for channel connection. This intermediary approach allows for controlled channel formation and connection while maintaining base body structural integrity throughout the manufacturing process.
3Volume of moving object
If power density in power converters is increased through miniaturization, then device size is reduced, but thermal overload risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system uses a heat transfer fluid circulating through the channel network to actively remove heat from the base body. This hydraulic cooling approach enables efficient thermal management in compact configurations, allowing high power density while preventing thermal overload through continuous fluid-based heat extraction.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple cooling channels are arranged in parallel within the base body, creating a three-dimensional cooling network that maximizes heat dissipation surface area within the limited device volume. This multi-dimensional channel arrangement enables effective cooling in miniaturized power converter designs.
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
The method simplifies and cost-effectively produces a cooling apparatus that enhances thermal conductivity and heat dissipation, reducing the risk of electronic failures by directly contacting the base body with a heat transfer fluid, and allows for efficient heat management in semiconductor arrangements.
Implementation Method 1
the base body is in direct contact with the heat transfer fluid
Implementation Method 2
channels to extend continuously from the first lateral surface to the second lateral surface... filling the channel structure with a heat transfer fluid
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling apparatus for a semiconductor arrangement is made by producing a base body with a flat surface, opposing first and second lateral surfaces, and channels extending continuously from the first to the second lateral surface and parallel to the flat surface, with adjacent ones of the channels being each connected via a web. Bilaterally introduced in the base body are contacting grooves and connecting grooves in parallel relation to the flat surface by partially removing the web between the adjacent channels such that the connecting grooves are arranged between the adjacent channels, the channels are arranged between the flat surface and the contacting grooves, and the connecting grooves protrude deeper into the base body than the respective contacting grooves. The channels are closed to form a closed channel structure which is filled with a heat transfer fluid so that the base body is directly contacting the heat transfer fluid.