Enabling an aluminum heat exchanger with a working fluid

• US 20090166014A1
• Filed: 12/28/2007
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Kim, Choong-Un, Mongia, Rajiv K., Pokharna, Himanshu, Chang, Je-Young
• Granted Patent: US 9,574,832 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/133
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/02 in which the medium condenses and evaporates, e.g. heat pipes heat pipes used in solar heat collectors F24S10/95; in radiators F28D1/0226; in nuclear reactors G21C15/257
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 19/06 of metal
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 21/084 from aluminium or aluminium alloys
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 2245/02 hydrophilic
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/3735 Laminates or multilayers, e.g. direct bond copper ceramic substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/427 Cooling by change of state, e.g. use of heat pipes by liquefied gas H01L23/445
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/473 by flowing liquids H01L23/4332, H01L23/4338 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

In one embodiment, a heat exchanger may be formed using a corrosion-resistant aluminum material to enable usage of water as a working fluid for the exchanger. In one embodiment, the exchanger may have an aluminum substrate with multiple treated layers formed thereon. A first treated layer corresponds to a hydrated aluminum oxide layer, and a second treated layer corresponds to a mono-layer organic molecule layer. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

treating an aluminum heat exchanger device to form protection layers on the aluminum heat exchanger device; and

treating a working fluid to protect the aluminum heat exchanger from short-term and long-term corrosion susceptibility.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the protection layers include a hydrated aluminum oxide, a conversion layer, and a monolayer of organic molecules.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising growing the hydrated aluminum oxide by treating the aluminum heat exchanger in water at an elevated temperature.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein treating water for treating the aluminum heat exchanger is neutralized and purified and contains no additives.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein treating water for treating the aluminum heat exchanger is neutralized and purified, and contains additives, less than 10 wt. %, including phosphoric acid, and/or potassium permanganate, and/or potassium silicate.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein protective power of the hydrated aluminum oxide layer is increased by application of steps comprising of dehydration in hot water containing aluminum salt, and subsequent re-hydration to result in formation of dense hydrated oxide.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein additional treatments on the aluminum hydrated oxide surface to further protective power against corrosion include:

creating a thin conversion layer of CrO₂, or MnO₂, or SiO₂, and/or forming self-assembled monolayers of organic molecules by treating the aluminum hydrated oxide surface in hot water containing either organic salts or solvents having —

COOH, —

NH₂, and —

S as one of the tail groups in their molecular structure.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein treating the working fluid is to further protect the aluminum heat exchanger from the short-term and long-term corrosion susceptibility by:

purifying and neutralizing the working fluid to remove Halide ions; and

/or

saturating the water with aluminum ions either by adding aluminum salt or making the water react with aluminum in hot water to be saturated with aluminum ions; and

/or

adding less than 1 wt. % of salts for buffering purpose to stabilize pH of the working fluid; and

adding less than 0.5 wt. % of at least one corrosion inhibitor, including an oxidizer and a passivator, to protect a water/aluminum interface in an evaporator portion of the aluminum heat exchanger device; and

adding at least one corrosion inhibitor to protect a vapor/aluminum interface in a condenser portion of the aluminum heat exchanger device.

9. An apparatus comprising:

an aluminum heat exchanger having an aluminum substrate, a first treated layer formed thereon, and a second treated layer formed on the first treated layer, the first treated layer corresponding to a hydrated aluminum oxide layer, the second treated layer corresponding to a conversion layer or self-assembled monolayers of molecules, the aluminum heat exchanger including a working fluid to contact at least the mono-layer organic molecule layer, the working fluid corresponding to purified and neutralized water, wherein the aluminum heat exchanger is coupled to a semiconductor device to remove heat therefrom during operation of the semiconductor device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the purified and neutralized water includes a buffering salt to stabilize a pH level thereof.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the purified and neutralized water includes at least one corrosion inhibitor.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the aluminum heat exchanger includes an evaporator portion having an aluminum/liquid interface, an adiabatic portion having an aluminum/liquid interface, and a condenser portion having an aluminum/vapor interface, wherein each of the portions has a different boundary condition.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one corrosion inhibitor includes an oxidizer and passivator to protect the water/aluminum interface in the evaporator portion and an organic polymer to protect the vapor/aluminum interface in the condenser portion.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the aluminum heat exchanger is integrated on a surface of a die of the semiconductor device.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the aluminum heat exchanger is integrated within an integrated heat spreader coupled to the semiconductor device.