Microjet Integration
New microjet allows for easy integration into electronic devices.
by Jackie Nemeth
GEORGIA TECH'S PACKAGING RESEARCH CENTER thermal management team has perfected a new microjet that increases the efficiency of synthetic microjet technology. Dr. William Z. Black, a professor of mechanical engineering, led the research team.
photo by Stanley Leary
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In the new design, the jet flows tangentially over a heat source, substantially modifying a thermal boundary layer and enhancing convective heat transfer.
"This allows for the jet hardware to be installed in a flat, low-profile package that is adjacent to the cooled, integrated circuit package, and thus it can be easily integrated into tight spaces," Black says. Initial test data using the new slot-jet design has shown an increased rate of heat removal compared to normal microjet impingement.
About three years ago, the Packaging Research Center's thermal management team introduced a novel cooling technique, using synthetic air microjets to effectively cool both single packages and multi-chip modules. Studies show that microjets effectively cool individual chips, and they also can be interconnected to provide cooling for multiple packages.
Synthetic jets can be manufactured using micro-fabrication technology. They have several attributes that make them natural candidates for replacing traditional fans in many applications.
These attributes include low power consumption, high reliability and low-cost, small-footprint operation without the need for external plumbing. "Synthetic jets have been tested in both open- and closed-flow systems," Black says. "For example, a microjet installed in a sealed enclosure of a cellular phone can reduce the operating temperature of the power amplifier by up to 40 percent."
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