Fabrication challenges for a complicated micro-flow channel system at low temperature process

This paper presents fabrication challenges for a complicated micro channel system at low temperature process by MEMS techniques. This channel is integrated with an array of temperature sensors and a set of heaters for the purpose of study on the micro-scale heat transfer inside. The heat transfer results may provide a clue whether the microchannel cooling process can be used to solve the future-cooling problem encountered in an extremely high power density CPU chip. Design and fabrication challenges encountered in this processes are discussed. Fabrication challenges include problems of sensor and heater fabrication, low temperature bonding problems, complete removal of silicon substrate to transfer sensor and heater system to a glass substrate and fabrication of a channel at low temperature process, etc. A final measurement for the validation of the heaters and the sensors fabricated and a study of the heat transfer coefficient distributions inside the micro channel water flow system are also presented.