Porous Capillary Cooling Structure for Uniform Chip Heat Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling systems for semiconductor devices face challenges in uniformly supplying coolant, preventing hot spots, and efficiently removing bubbles, which limits their performance and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device with a cooling structure featuring porous microstructures that generate capillary forces to smoothly supply coolant and discharge bubbles, incorporating external and internal capillary channels in a lattice shape to enhance coolant flow and heat exchange.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cooling systems are used, then the structure is simple, but the coolant supply is non-uniform and bubbles cannot be efficiently removed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies porous materials by forming porous microstructures (500) on the heat transfer surface, which generate capillary forces to uniformly supply coolant across the surface. The porous structure allows liquid coolant to be drawn in through capillary action, ensuring uniform distribution while the lattice-shaped channels facilitate bubble removal, thus improving reliability without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling structure is segmented into multiple porous microstructures arranged in a lattice pattern, with each microstructure containing internal capillary channels. This segmentation allows independent coolant supply zones that prevent hot spots while maintaining overall system simplicity through modular repetition of the basic unit.
2Temperature
If conventional cooling systems are used, then the device complexity is low, but hot spots occur and heat exchange efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by creating porous microstructures with varying internal capillary channel configurations at different locations on the heat transfer surface. Each porous microstructure is tailored to local heat generation patterns, ensuring uniform temperature distribution and preventing hot spots through localized coolant supply optimization.
Solution Approach 2:
Porous materials are used to create microstructures that generate capillary forces for uniform coolant distribution across the heat transfer surface, effectively preventing hot spots by ensuring consistent cooling coverage without requiring complex active control systems.
3Reliability
If porous microstructures with internal capillary channels are used, then coolant supply uniformity improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by forming the porous microstructures and their internal capillary channels as an integrated component before assembly. The metal layer (590) is prepared in advance as a seed layer, and the porous structures are formed directly on it through electroplating or other deposition techniques, simplifying the overall manufacturing process by pre-integrating multiple functions into a single component.
Solution Approach 2:
The internal capillary channels are nested within the porous microstructures, with the channels forming the internal architecture of each microstructure. This nesting allows the complex porous structure with integrated channels to be manufactured as a single unit, reducing assembly complexity while maintaining the uniform coolant supply functionality.
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 porous microstructures ensure uniform coolant supply, prevent hot spots, and improve heat exchange efficiency by quickly removing bubbles, thereby enhancing the cooling capacity and reducing dry-out areas.
Implementation Method 1
the plurality of porous microstructures are provided on the metal layer and are configured to generate a capillary force causing a coolant to flow
Data Source
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AI summary
A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor chip including a heat transfer surface and a semiconductor integrated circuit, a plurality of porous microstructures each including a plurality of internal pores, external capillary channels between the plurality of porous microstructures, and internal capillary channels in the plurality of porous microstructures, where each of the plurality of porous microstructures are configured to generate a capillary force causing a flow of coolant that exchanges heat with the heat transfer surface of the semiconductor chip.