Modeling of writable thin film liquid metal phase change material for electronics cooling

Abstract

Probably the most trending technology in electronics today is wearable and flexible electronics. Flexible electronics are electronic circuits fabricated on flexible surfaces and offer many advantages. Similar to conventional electronics, thermal management of flexible electronics is a formidable challenge. In addition to high heat fluxes from the miniaturization of electronics' components, thermal management of flexible electronics must be adapted to the flexible and stretchable nature of the technology. In this work, we numerically study the thermal performance of thin film liquid metal PCMs for the thermal management of flexible electronics. Using 1-D (axial direction) transient conduction along with the enthalpy method, the temperature distribution within the liquid metal PCM was investigated as a function of length, thermal properties, and unsteady heat load. The results showed the existence of three important regions within which there exists an optimal PCM configuration and operating condition. Because PCMs are most suited for transient heat load applications, which is the case for many electronics, we studied the effects of transient heat load's periodicity and duration on the thermal performance of the liquid metal PCMs. The results showed that with a base load resulting in a chip temperature just below the PCM's melting temperature, optimal periodic heat loads can be achieved to maintain the chip at an acceptable operating temperature.