NSF/Sandia: Novel Thermometry Techniques and Nanostructured Surfaces to Enhance Micro- and Meso-Scale Thermal Management Technologies

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ABSTRACTNational Science FoundationProposal Number: CTS-0625865Principal Investigator: Yoda, MinamiAffiliation: Georgia Tech Research Corporation GA Institute of Technology Proposal Title: NSF/Sandia: Novel Thermometry Techniques and Nanostructured Surfaces to Enhance Micro- and Meso-Scale Thermal Management TechnologiesThis proposal was submitted in response to Program Solicitation NSF 05-616 in the focus area ofthermal transport and fluid mechanics. This research proposes to develop nanostructured surfaces for liquid cooling. Such features (e.g. carbon nanotubes) greatly increase surface area and may enhance microscale convective heat transfer. These surfaces have the potential to dramatically increase the thermal performance of single-phase liquid cooling and manage local "hot spots."Developing and evaluating effective mesoscale liquid cooling systems also requires measuring liquid-phase and wall surface temperatures in complex piping systems with dimensions comparable to the diameter of a human hair. Yet there are few if any practical thermometry techniques that can measure temperatures in such small convoluted geometries without disturbing the coolant flow, thereby affecting cooling performance. This research therefore will also develop novel nonintrusive high spatial resolution thermometry techniques that can be used in complex microsystems. These techniques will then be used to characterize and optimize the nanostructured surfaces for enhanced convective heat transfer. The intellectual merit of the work is in the development of microchannels with carbon nanotube-encrusted surfaces. They will be fabricated in silicon and incorporate heating and embedded temperature sensors to characterize overall thermal performance. In addition, local thermal performance will be characterized using evanescent wave fluorescence thermometry (EFT). To extend nonintrusive thermometry techniques to complex silicon structures, a new infrared (IR) thermometry technique will be developed that can nonintrusively measure temperature in silicon microchannels which are opaque, at least at visible wavelengths by exploiting the temperature-sensitive characteristics of IR quantum dots. The fundamental knowledge derived from this work will have Broad Impacts on the future development of micro cooling systems for electronic systems and in the experimental diagnostics available for their characterization. The impact of the research on people will include work with inner-city high school students to develop Web-based educational materials on nano- to microscale technology.