Effects of Non-Uniform Heating on the Location and Magnitude of Critical Heat Flux in a Microchannel Heat Sink

Decreasing form factors and diminishing numbers of thermal interfaces and spreading layers in modern, compact electronic packages result in non-uniform heat generation profiles at the chip level being transmitted directly to the heat sinks. An improved understanding of the effects of non-uniform heating on the heat dissipation limits in microchannel heat sinks has become essential. An experimental investigation is conducted to measure the location and magnitude of critical heat flux (CHF) in a microchannel heat sink exposed to a range of non-uniform heating profiles. A 12.7 mm X 12.7 mm silicon microchannel heat sink with an embedded 5 X 5 array of individually controllable heaters is used in the experiments. The microchannels in the heat sink are 240 mm wide and 370 μm deep, and are separated by 110 mm wide fins. The dielectric fluid HFE-7100 is used as the coolant, with an average mass flux in the heat sink of approximately 800 kg/m2s. High-speed visualizations of the flow are recorded to capture the CH...