Study of micro-channel shape and material property on cooling performance of high power LED chips

Heat accumulation has become an important cause for the degradation of high power LEDs, and micro-channel cooler (MCC) is believed to be a promising solution for this issue. In this paper, a 3D transient heat transfer finite element model was established to investigate the cross-section shape and material of the MCC on cooling performance of high power LED chips. For comparison, three cross-section shapes (regular triangle, square and circle) and materials (Al, Cu and Si) were studied. We found that the Cu MCC with a regular triangular cross-section presented the best cooling performance among the others, indicating the lowest maximum and averaged temperature in the LED chip. As to the time response, the Si MCC with a regular triangular cross-section showed the fastest transient temperature response.