Practical Concerns for Adoption of Microjet Cooling

As power densities in advanced electronics continue to rise, the need for high performance thermal solutions becomes increasingly important. Liquid jet impingement has been applied to cooling high power-density electronics due to its ability to dissipate large heat fluxes while maintaining an acceptable operating temperature in the device. Recently, microjets have been embedded within the device substrate, forming a compact solution that is highly scalable. Many practical questions remain, however, on whether microjet technology is ready for actual implementation. In this work, we address several important questions that impede adoption of the technology. Numerical analysis and experimental data are provided to demonstrate the tradeoff between thermal performance and driving pressure requirements through pumping analysis. Additional mechanical concerns regarding robustness to clogging and resistance to erosion are addressed through a 1000-hour extended lifetime test.