SBIR Phase I: Nanowire Structures for Thermal Management

第一阶段SBIR项目旨在开发用于电子热管理设备的无源纳米线阵列的制造技术。该项目团队建议开发一种使用无源纳米线阵列结构的热管技术，这是制造低轮廓、高性能热管/扩散装置的一个组成部分。无源纳米线阵列的使用是低轮廓热管器件的使能创新。纳米线阵列允许热管的高度降低到小于1毫米（0.040英寸），并用于传统热管理设备不足的地方。开发制造大型纳米线阵列的工艺将使自动化设备能够以低成本生产大量这些器件，同时满足下一代电路的性能需求。将确定制造大面积结构的策略，然后可用于大批量，低成本热管制造的自动化装配设备。在商业上，热管理问题在电子系统中变得至关重要，因为1亿个晶体管的电路耗散超过100w变得司空见惯。该技术的发展将使高功率电路和器件能够插入到更小的系统外壳中，从而在不牺牲性能的情况下继续减小整体系统尺寸。热管器件自动化装配工艺的发展，将使热管成本降低，进入主流电子市场。

This Phase I SBIR project aims to develop manufacturing techniques for passive nanowire arrays to be used in electronics thermal management devices. The project team proposes to develop a heat pipe technology using passive nanowire array structures that are an integral component in the manufacture of low profile, high performance heat pipe/spreader devices. The use of passive nanowire arrays is the enabling innovation for the low profile heat pipe devices. The nanowire arrays allow the height of the heat pipe to be reduced to less than 1 mm (0.040") and to be used where conventional thermal management devices are inadequate. Developing the processes for creating large sheets of nanowire arrays will enable automated equipment to produce large numbers of these devices at low cost while meeting the performance needs of next generation circuits. A strategy will be defined to manufacture large area structures that can then be used in automated assembly equipment for high volume, low cost heat pipe manufacture.Commercially, the thermal management issue has become critical in electronics systems as circuits with 100 million transistors dissipating more than 100 W become commonplace. Development of the proposed technology will enable high power circuits and devices to be inserted into smaller system enclosures, allowing for the continued decreases in overall system size without sacrificing performance. The development of anautomated assembly process for heat pipe devices will enable heat pipe cost to bereduced and enter the mainstream electronics market.