On the charging and thermal characterization of a micro/nano structured thermal ground plane

Abstract

As power densities in electronic devices have increased dramatically over the last decade, advanced thermal management solutions are required. A significant part of the thermal resistance budget is commonly taken up by the heat spreader, which serves to reduce the input heat flux and connect to an increased area for heat removal. Thermal ground planes are devices that address this issue by utilizing two-phase heat transfer achieving higher effective thermal conductivities than conventional solid heat spreaders. This study describes the need for and design of a charging station to accurately dispense the working fluid and a thermal characterization experiment to characterize performance. The design study includes detailed analysis of accuracy and validation of the setup.