Cooling systems employing fluidic jets, methods for their use and methods for cooling

• US 8,051,905 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2006
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Arik, Mehmet, Solovitz, Stephen Adam, Wetzel, Todd Garrett
• Primary Examiner(s): FORD, JOHN K
• Application Number:
  US11/464,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20080041574A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,911 Days
• Field of Search: 165/908, 165/104.23, 165/84, 165/287, 165/288, 165/80.3, 165/80.4, 165/109.1, 165/104.33, 239/102.2, 239/4, 239/8, 239/102.1, 239/434, 417/413.2, 417/413.3, 417/413.7, 417/479, 417/413.1, 417/412, 347/68, 92/96, 361/694, 361/699, 257/714
• US Class Current: 165/287
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/4735 Jet impingement H01L23/4336 takes 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 165/908 Fluid jets

Abstract

In one embodiment, a cooling system is disclosed. The cooling system comprises: a cooling channel for receiving a cooling media, a substrate disposed near the cooling channel, and a fluidic jet disposed within the substrate and in fluid communication with the cooling channel. The cooling channel is for thermal communication with a component to be cooled. The cooling channel has a height of less than or equal to about 3 mm and a width of less than or equal to 2 mm. The fluidic jet comprises a cavity defined by a well and a membrane. In one embodiment, a method of cooling an electrical component comprises: passing a cooling media through a cooling channel, drawing the cooling media into one or more of the fluidic jets, expelling the cooling media from the one or more fluidic jets into the cooling channel, and removing thermal energy from the electrical component.

Claims

1. A cooling system comprising:

a cooling channel for receiving a cooling media,

the cooling channel being for thermal communication with a component to be cooled,

wherein the cooling channel has a height of less than or equal to about 3 mm and a width of less than or equal to 2 mm;

a substrate disposed near the cooling channel; and

a fluidic jet device disposed within the substrate and in fluid communication with the cooling channel, wherein the fluidic jet comprises a cavity defined by a well and a membrane comprising an orifice, wherein the membrane is deformable into the well to draw the cooling media into the cavity via the orifice and away from the well to expel the cooling media from the cavity via the orifice.

2. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the cooling channel has a channel width that is about 25 μ

m to about 300 μ

m and a channel height that is about 50 μ

m to about 500 μ

m.

3. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the membrane has a membrane size, wherein the orifice disposed through the membrane forms the fluid communication between the fluidic jet device and the channel, and wherein the orifice has an orifice size that is less than or equal to about 50% of the membrane size.

4. The cooling system of claim 3, wherein the orifice size that is less than or equal to about 25% of the membrane size.

5. The cooling system of claim 4, wherein the orifice size that is about 8% to about 15% of the membrane size.

6. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the membrane is connected in operable communication to a lead for supplying electrical energy to the membrane to cause the membrane to oscillate.

7. The cooling system of claim 1, further comprising a sensor that is connected in operational communication to a controller for activating the fluidic jet device.

8. The cooling system of claim 1, further comprising

a plurality of the fluidic jets, and

a sensor connected to each fluidic jet and connected in operational communication to a controller for activating the fluidic jets individually.

9. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the channel has a changing width and/or height.

10. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the cooling system is a closed loop system comprising a plurality of the fluidic jets, a plurality of the channels, and a cooling media in the cooling channels.

11. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the cooling channels are in thermal communication with an electronic component.

12. The cooling system of claim 11, wherein the electronic component is an integrated circuit.

13. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the cavity has a cavity depth of about 10 μ

m to about 3 mm.