Enhanced thermal management in 3D integrated circuits: Low-pressure flow boiling in microchannels with multiple ultra-high heat flux sources using deionized water

Three-dimensional integrated circuits (3DICs) are attracting increasing attention for their exceptional performance and low energy consumption, significantly impacting military technology, energy systems, and the semiconductor industry. This study employs the finite volume method and conjugate heat transfer for numerical simulation, proposing an efficient thermal management solution for 3DICs. The investigation examines the flow boiling heat transfer mechanisms of deionized water and HFE7100 coolant, considering micro-scale wall roughness in flow and the thermal capillary pumping effects. The complex geometrical features of through‑silicon vias and channel corners are included, and the flow maldistribution in multi-channels is evaluated. Gas-liquid two-phase flow patterns at various flow rates are revealed. The influence of pump power on heat and mass transfer in microchannels is elucidated. The temperature distribution of different components in the 3DIC under discretely distributed ultra-high heat flux sources is provided. Results demonstrate that deionized water exhibits superior low-pressure flow boiling heat transfer compared to HFE7100, resulting in an 8.4 K reduction in temperature for 3DIC devices at similar pump power. The proposed thermal management solution can maintain the device temperature below 337.3 K at the recommended pump power when the discrete heat source reaches 2 MW/cm³ while achieving excellent flow and temperature uniformity.