Fabrication and performance of tree-branch microchannels in silicon carbide for direct cooling of high-power electronics applications

For applications where space restrictions limit the feasibility of heat spreading in high-powered electronic devices, integrated direct cooling is a viable but under explored method for keeping critical devices cool. Direct integrated cooling by putting microchannels of varying designs into common device substrate materials (e.g., SiC) is examined. Laser machined microchannels are shown to be a feasible method for fabricating microchannels into materials where etching is not. The flexibility of laser machining to fabricate more complex microchannel designs is assessed and tree-branch or ldquofractal-likerdquo microchannels are shown to provide considerable reduction in pressure drop for a given flow rate compared to traditional straight microchannels.