Development and characterization of a flat laminate vapor chamber

Developed was a type of flat laminate vapor chamber called FGHP (Fine Grid Heat Pipe), and its thermal performance was investigated. Fine etching technique enabled formation of microstructures on laminate parts. The size of FGHP utilized in this study was 50 × 50 mm2 and 2 mm thick. For reference, tested was a copper heat spreader having the same dimensions. Without regarding the heat input, the FGHP showed more uniform temperature distribution than the copper heat spreader. Even at a high heat flux, more than 2.0 MW m−2, the FGHP had a thermal resistance as low as 0.08 K W−1, which is about a quarter of that of the copper heat spreader. When thermal resistance of the FGHP was compared with various types of flat heat pipes or vapor chambers, it was the lowest among the all vapor chambers by taking the effect of area ratio into account.