| Abstract |
GaN transistors are limited in their operational capabilities due to some limitations, of whichthe thermal management aspects. Until now, most of the existing heat-dissipator systems usingadditive manufacturing (AM) are based on a metallic nned heat sink, which is heavy and hasa relatively high thermal resistance. Heat dissipation based on a phase change as operated inheat pipes is more e cient. Such heat sinks have been experimented with metals or ceramicsand not by now with polymers. However, this may be of great interest. The use of polymermay enable reducing weight and cost of the thermal device. It may allow also improving thechemical compatibility of the heat pipe material and uid, as this is often a severe issue. Thiswork presents a characterization of a 3D-printed polymer-based heat pipe evaporator intendedfor GaN transistors. The electronic copper circuit on the polymer surface is created usingplastronics technology. The metallized circuit presents an adequate electrical conductivity. Thethermal characterization performed with the HFE 7000 uid, shows that it is actually possible tocover the entire heated polymer wall with active nucleation sites once the full developed nucleateboiling regime is reached. The heat conduction through the insulating polymer wall appears asthe limiting phenomenon for heat transfer. |
