Heat sink with microchannel cooling for power devices

• US 7,353,859 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2004
• Issued: 04/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Solovitz, Stephen Adam, Stevanovic, Ljubisa Dragoljub
• Primary Examiner(s): Leo; Leonard R
• Application Number:
  US10/998,707
• Publication Number:
  US 20060108098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,231 Days
• Field of Search: 165/80.4, 165/170, 257/714, 361/699
• US Class Current: 165/80.4
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• 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 2924/1305 Bipolar Junction Transistor [BJT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13055 Insulated gate bipolar transistor [IGBT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]

Abstract

An apparatus for cooling at least one heated surface includes a base plate defining a number of inlet and outlet manifolds. The inlet manifolds are configured to receive a coolant, and the outlet manifolds exhaust the coolant. The inlet and outlet manifolds are interleaved. The apparatus also includes at least one substrate having inner and outer surfaces. The inner surface is coupled to the base plate and defines a number of microchannels that receive the coolant from the inlet manifolds and deliver the coolant to the outlet manifolds. The microchannels are oriented substantially perpendicular to the inlet and outlet manifolds. The outer surface is in thermal contact with the heated surface. The apparatus also includes an inlet plenum that supplies the coolant to the inlet manifolds, and an outlet plenum that exhausts the coolant from the outlet manifolds. The inlet plenum and outlet plenum are oriented in a plane of the base plate.

Claims

1. An apparatus for cooling at least one heated surface, said apparatus comprising:

a base plate defining a plurality of inlet manifolds and a plurality of outlet manifolds, wherein said inlet manifolds are configured to receive a coolant and said outlet manifolds are configured to exhaust the coolant, and wherein said inlet and outlet manifolds are interleaved and are oriented in a plane of the base plate;

at least one substrate having an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein said inner surface is coupled to said base plate, wherein said inner surface defines a plurality of microchannels configured to receive the coolant from said inlet manifolds and to deliver the coolant to said outlet manifolds, wherein said microchannels are oriented substantially perpendicular to said inlet and outlet manifolds, and wherein said outer surface is in thermal contact with the heated surface;

an inlet plenum configured to supply the coolant to said inlet manifolds; and

an outlet plenum configured to exhaust the coolant from said outlet manifolds, wherein said inlet plenum and said outlet plenum are oriented in the plane of said base plate,

wherein said substrate comprises a top metal layer, an insulating microchannel layer and a lower layer, wherein said microchannels are formed in said insulating microchannel layer, wherein said insulating microchannel layer is disposed between said top metal layer and said base plate, wherein said lower layer is disposed between and attached to said insulating microchannel layer and said base plate, and wherein said top metal layer is coupled to the heated surface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said microchannels are less than about 200 μ

m wide and are separated by a plurality of gaps of less than about 200 μ

m.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said microchannels are about 100 μ

m wide and wherein said gaps are about 100 μ

m.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of said inlet manifolds is about one millimeter (1 mm) wide.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said microchannels have a rectilinear geometry.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said microchannels have a curved geometry.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said microchannels comprise rough walls.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said microchannels are continuous.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said microchannels form a discrete array.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said microchannels are about 1 mm in length and are separated by a gap of less than about 0.5 mm.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said inlet manifolds comprises a wide end and a narrow end, and wherein each of said wide ends is larger that the respective one of said narrow ends.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein each of said inlet manifolds is tapered between the respective ones of said wide ends and said narrow ends.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein each of said inlet manifolds extends from said inlet plenum and is oriented substantially perpendicular to said inlet plenum.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein each of said inlet manifolds has a width in a range of about 0.5 mm to about 2 mm.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said outlet manifolds comprises a wide end and a narrow end, and wherein each of said wide ends is larger that the respective one of said narrow ends.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein each of said outlet manifolds is tapered between the respective ones of said wide ends and said narrow ends.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein each of said outlet manifolds extends from said outlet plenum and is oriented substantially perpendicular to said outlet plenum.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein each of said outlet manifolds has a width in a range of about 0.5 mm to about 2 mm.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein each of said outlet manifolds is about one millimeter (1 mm) wide.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein there are N inlet manifolds and N+1 outlet manifolds.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said inlet plenum and said outlet plenum are substantially uniform in cross-section.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coolant is selected from the group consisting of water, ethylene-glycol, oil, aircraft fuel and combinations thereof.

23. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coolant is a single phase liquid.

24. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said base plate comprises a thermally conductive material.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said substrate comprises at least one thermally conductive material.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said substrate comprises at least one electrically isolating material.

27. A heat sink for cooling at least one power device, said heat sink comprising:

a base plate defining a plurality of inlet manifolds and a plurality of outlet manifolds, wherein said inlet manifolds are configured to receive a coolant and said outlet manifolds are configured to exhaust the coolant, and wherein said inlet and outlet manifolds are interleaved and are oriented in a plane of the base plate, wherein each of said inlet manifolds is tapered and comprises a wide end and a narrow end, wherein each of said wide ends is larger that the respective one of said narrow ends, wherein each of said outlet manifolds is tapered and comprises a wide end and a narrow end, and wherein each of said wide ends is larger that the respective one of said narrow ends;

at least one substrate having an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein said inner surface is coupled to said base plate, wherein said inner surface defines a plurality of microchannels configured to receive the coolant from said inlet manifolds and to deliver the coolant to said outlet manifolds, wherein said microchannels are oriented substantially perpendicular to said inlet and outlet manifolds, and wherein said outer surface is in thermal contact with the power device;

an inlet plenum configured to supply the coolant to said inlet manifolds, wherein each of said inlet manifolds extends from said inlet plenum; and

an outlet plenum configured to exhaust the coolant from said outlet manifolds, wherein each of said outlet manifolds extends from said outlet plenum, and wherein said inlet plenum and said outlet plenum are oriented in the plane of said base plate,

wherein said substrate comprises a top metal layer, an insulating microchannel layer and a lower layer, wherein said microchannels are formed in said insulating microchannel layer, wherein said insulating microchannel layer is disposed between said top metal layer and said base plate, wherein said lower layer is disposed between and attached to said insulating microchannel layer and said base plate, and wherein said top metal layer is coupled to the power device.

28. The heat sink of claim 27, wherein each of said inlet manifolds is oriented substantially perpendicular to said inlet plenum, and wherein each of said outlet manifolds is oriented substantially perpendicular to said outlet plenum.

29. The heat sink of claim 28, wherein there are N inlet manifolds and N+1 outlet manifolds.

30. The heat sink of claim 27, wherein said microchannels are continuous.

31. The heat sink of claim 27, wherein said microchannels form a discrete array, and wherein said microchannels are about 1 mm in length and are separated by a gap of less than about 0.5 mm.