Experimental study on silicon micro-heat pipe arrays

In this study, micro-heat pipe arrays etched into silicon wafers have been investigated for electronic cooling purposes. Micro-heat pipes of triangular cross-section and with liquid arteries were fabricated by wet anisotropic etching with a KOH solution. The microchannels (230 mum wide) are closed by molecular bonding of a plain wafer with the grooved one. A test bench was developed for the micro-heat pipe filling and the thermal characterisation. The temperature profile on the silicon surface is deduced from experimental measurements. The results show that with the artery micro-heat pipe array, filled with methanol, the effective thermal conductivity of the silicon wafer is significantly improved compared to massive silicon. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.