An Experimentally Validated Model for Transport in Thin, High Thermal Conductivity, Low CTE Heat Spreaders

Passive phase-change thermal spreaders such as vapor chambers have been widely employed to spread the heat from small-scale high-flux heat sources to larger areas. In the present work, a numerical model for ultra-thin vapor chambers has been developed which is suitable for reliable predictions of the operation at high heat fluxes and small scales. The effects of boiling in the wick structure on the thermal performance are modeled and the model predictions are compared with experiments on custom-fabricated devices. The model predictions agree reasonably well with experimental measurements and reveal the input parameters to which thermal resistance and vapor chamber capillary limit are most sensitive.