REMOTE DIRECTIONAL VAPOR CHAMBER HEAT SINK

Abstract

A vapor chamber for a heatsink comprises: a housing having an exterior surface with an area to be positioned adjacent to a heat source, an interior surface to enclose contiguous chambers including an evaporator chamber adjacent to the area, a condenser chamber spaced from the evaporator chamber, and a connector chamber connecting the evaporator chamber to the condenser chamber, and interior walls that partition the contiguous chambers into channels that extend from their open near ends adjacent to the evaporator chamber into the condenser chamber, to provide fluid communication between the evaporator chamber and the condenser chamber; a wick on interior surfaces of the housing and on walls of the channels; and a working fluid in the contiguous chambers to circulate between the evaporator chamber and the condenser chamber via the channels to transfer heat away from and cool the heat source.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to vapor chambers for heatsinks.

BACKGROUND

A traditional remote heatpipe heatsink may be used as a heatsink to cool a high-power density application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The remote heatpipe heatsink faces challenges that can yield unpredictable thermal (cooling) performance due to multiple factors. A first factor that can limit the thermal performance is a distance from a condenser to a radiator and to heatpipes (or to a vapor chamber (VC)) of the remote heatpipe heatsink. A second factor that can limit thermal performance is the space available for the heatpipes. While employing more heatpipes adjacent to a cold plate translates to better thermal performance than employing less heatpipes, space limitations can make it difficult to increase the number of heatpipes near the cold plate. A third factor that can limit thermal performance relates to flow control of a working fluid in the heatpipe heatsink. For example, failure to control the gas-liquid two-phase flow inside a large-sized vapor chamber of the heatpipe heatsink adversely impacts long-distance heat transfer by the heatpipe heatsink.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vapor chamber (VC) structure that may be integrated into a remote directional VC heatsink, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a remote directional VC heatsink (referred to simply as a “VC heatsink”) that incorporates the VC structure to cool a heat source, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the VC structure with a top area plate removed to show interior walls that form channels of the VC structure, accordance to an example embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the VC structure of FIG. 3, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a connector section of the VC structure taken along a cut-line B-B in FIG. 3, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a side/edge of a housing of the VC structure taken along a cut-line A-A in FIG. 3, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of wick layers of a wick to be applied to interior surfaces of top and bottom area plates of the VC structure, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method of cooling a heat source using a VC structure, according to an example embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Overview

In an embodiment, a vapor chamber for a heatsink comprises: a housing having an exterior surface with an area to be positioned adjacent to a heat source, an interior surface to enclose contiguous chambers including an evaporator chamber adjacent to the area, a condenser chamber spaced from the evaporator chamber, and a connector chamber connecting the evaporator chamber to the condenser chamber, and interior walls that partition the contiguous chambers into channels that have open near ends adjacent to the evaporator chamber, wherein the channels extend from the open near ends, through the connector chamber, and into the condenser chamber, to provide fluid communication between the evaporator chamber and the condenser chamber; a wick on the interior surface of the housing that contains the evaporator chamber, the condenser chamber, and the connector chamber, and on the interior walls of the channels; and a working fluid in the contiguous chambers to circulate between the evaporator chamber and the condenser chamber via the channels to transfer heat away from and cool the heat source.

In another embodiment, a vapor chamber heatsink comprises: a vapor chamber including: a housing to form an evaporator that contains an evaporator chamber, a condenser spaced-apart from the evaporator and that contains a condenser chamber, and a connector section that connects the evaporator to the condenser and contains a connector chamber, the housing including interior walls that partition the connector chamber and the condenser chamber into channels that have open near ends adjacent to the evaporator chamber, wherein the channels extend from the open near ends, through the connector chamber, and into the condenser chamber, to provide fluid communication between the evaporator chamber and the condenser chamber; a wick on an interior surface of the evaporator, the connector section, and the condenser, and on the interior walls of the channels; and a working fluid to circulate between the evaporator chamber and the condenser chamber via the channels; a cold plate fixed to the evaporator to apply heat from a heat source to the evaporator; and a heat fin stack fixed to the condenser.

Example Embodiments

Embodiments presented herein include (i) a vapor chamber (VC) structure (also referred to simply a “VC”), and (ii) a remote directional VC heatsink that incorporates the VC structure to cool a heat source. The VC structure and the remote directional VC heatsink that incorporates the VC structure are described generally in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively. Then, the VC structure is described in more detail in connection with FIGS. 3-7.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example VC structure 100 that may be integrated with the remote directional VC heatsink. As shown in FIG. 1, VC structure 100 comprises an integrally formed metal housing 102 that has a T-shape, although other shapes are possible. Metal housing 102 may be made of copper or any other suitable metal, for example. Housing 102 has a volume defined by orthogonal width, length, and height dimensions of the housing. The width and the length are transverse to each other and lie in a horizonal plane (i.e., extend in a planar direction), and the height is transverse to the width and the length (i.e., is transverse to the horizontal plane/planar direction), and may be considered to extend vertically. Directionality in the figures is described generally in terms of the orthogonal width (W), length (L), and height (H) dimensions/directions, unless stated otherwise.

Housing 102 includes a planar top area plate 108 formed in the T-shape and a planar bottom area plate 110 (hidden from view in FIG. 1 by the top area plate) also formed in the T-shape so that the top and bottom area plates are coextensive. Top and bottom area plates 108, 110 are spaced-apart from each other across their horizontal areas defined by their lengths and widths by a vertical height H1. Top and bottom area plates 108, 110 have respective continuous peripheries or edges that are joined together by a sidewall 114, or directly to each other, such that an interior/inner surface of the housing encloses a sealed, relatively large, interior chamber 116 that contains a working fluid (not shown in FIG. 1), such as water or other suitable working fluid. The working fluid is configured to transition between a liquid and a vapor and to flow within large chamber 116 responsive to heat that is applied to housing 102 by a heat source, as described below.

Housing 102 comprises a series of integrally formed contiguous housing sections including an evaporator 120, a condenser 122 spaced-apart (and thus “remote”) from the evaporator along a length of housing 102, and a phase-change connector section (referred to simply as a “connector”) 124 connecting the evaporator to the condenser. Evaporator 120 and connector 124 are connected in series to form a leg of the T-shape formed by housing 102, while condenser 122 forms a crossbar of the T-shape that is joined to the leg of the T-shape at a midpoint of the crossbar/condenser. Evaporator 120, connector 124, and condenser 122 enclose/contain a series of contiguous chambers, respectively, including an evaporator chamber 120c, a connector chamber 124c connecting the evaporator chamber to the condenser chamber, and a condenser chamber 122c that are in fluid communication with each other, and that collectively form large chamber 116. The working fluid may flow within and between chambers 120c-124c. Evaporator chamber 120c, connector chamber 124c, and condenser chamber 122c have respective volumes V1, V2, and V3 defined by their length (L), width (W), and height (H)) dimensions shown in FIG. 1, where V1=L1·W1·H1, V2=L2·W1·H1, and V3=L3·W2·H1 . In an example, height H1 is substantially less than (e.g., an order of magnitude less than) the length and the width dimensions, to give housing 102 a thin area profile that generally constrains fluid/vapor flow to length and width (i.e., planar) dimensions/directions.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example remote directional VC heatsink (referred to simply as a “VC heatsink”) 200 that incorporates VC structure 100 to cool a heat source. VC heatsink 200 includes a metal block structure 204 fixed to evaporator 120 of VC structure 100, and a metal heat fin stack 206 spaced-apart from the metal block structure and fixed to condenser 122 of the VC structure, so that the heat fin stack is remote from the metal block structure. In FIG. 2, evaporator 120 and condenser 122 of VC structure 100 are largely obscured from view by metal block structure 204 and heat fin stack 206, which reveal only edges of the corresponding sections of the VC structure. Metal block structure 204 and heat fin stack 206 may be made of copper of other suitable metal, for example. Metal block structure 204 includes top and bottom portions 204a, 204b fixed (e.g., soldered) to corresponding top and bottom exterior/outer surface areas of evaporator 120, respectively. Top portion 204a of metal block structure 204 may serve as a cold plate adjacent to evaporator 120 to receive/contact the heat source, such as an ASIC, and to apply the heat received from the heat source to the evaporator. Heat fin stack 206 includes top fins 206a and bottom fins 206b fixed (e.g., soldered) to corresponding top and bottom exterior/outer surface areas of condenser 122. While the embodiment of FIG. 2 incorporates VC structure 100 in VC heatsink 200 to cool the heat source, it is understood that, in other embodiments, VC structure 100 alone may be employed as a standalone heatsink to cool the heat source, when the heat source is in contact with the exterior surface of evaporator 120.

At a high-level, VC heatsink 200 is configured to cool the heat source (e.g., the ASIC) in contact with the cold plate of metal block structure 204 due to interactions between VC structure 100 including the working fluid, the metal block structure, and heat fin stack 206. For example, heat from the heat source spreads radially across evaporator 120 and vaporizes any working fluid present in evaporator chamber 120c to a vapor (e.g., steam). Interior channels (described below) formed within housing 102 direct the vapor from evaporator chamber 120c through connector chamber 124c into condenser chamber 122c, where the vapor condenses to a liquid. The liquid flows from condenser chamber 122c back to evaporator chamber 120c through connector chamber 124c, and the cycle repeats to cool the heat source, as will be described in further detail below.

VC structure 100 is now described in further detail with reference to FIGS. 3-7, and with continued reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 3 is a top-down or plan view of VC structure 100 with top area plate 108 removed. FIG. 3 shows structure inside housing 102, i.e., in evaporator chamber 120c, connector chamber 124c, and condenser chamber 122c. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the structure shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of connector 124 of VC structure 100 taken along cut-line B-B in FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a side/edge of housing 102 taken along cut-line A-A in FIG. 3.

As best shown in FIG. 3, evaporator 120 includes three sealed sides or edges E1-E3 (formed from sidewall 114) and an open edge E4 that is adjacent to connector 124 to permit fluid communication between evaporator chamber 120c and connector chamber 124c. Housing 102 has integrally-formed interior walls (IWs) IW1-IW7 with vertical sides (shown in FIG. 5) that extend in parallel with each other through connector 124 and through condenser 122, but not through evaporator 120. Interior walls IW1-IW7 are made from the same metal as housing 102, and may be formed from individual metal rods, for example. Interior walls IW1-IW7 partition or divide connector chamber 124c and condenser chamber 122c into individual channels C1-C8 (collectively referred to as “channels C”), as described in further detail below.

Each of interior walls IW1-IW7 has a respective vertical side of height H1 (see FIG. 5). The vertical side has top and bottom edges that join opposing interior surfaces of top and bottom area plates 108, 110, respectively, along a length of the vertical side that extends through connector chamber 124c and through condenser chamber 122c. The respective vertical sides of interior walls IW1-IW7 are equally spaced-apart along the lengths of the interior walls, and thus extend in parallel with each other through connector chamber 124c and through condenser chamber 122c. Interior wall IW4 is a center interior wall that coincides with a center axis of housing 102, which (i) is parallel to the length of the housing (e.g., is parallel to lengths L1-L3), and (ii) divides the width of the housing (e.g., width W1 or W2) into left (e.g., first) and right (e.g., second) opposing sides or halves of the width. Center interior wall IW4 divides interior walls IW1-IW7 into left (e.g., first) interior walls IW1-IW3 and right (e.g., second) interior walls IW5-IW7. In connector chamber 124c, interior walls IW1-IW7 terminate in parallel with each other at their respective “near” ends 301 adjacent to open edge E4 of evaporator 120.

In connector chamber 124c, interior sidewalls IW1-IW7 are equally spaced-apart from each other across width W1 and extend in parallel with each other along their lengths (in parallel with length L2, shown in FIG. 1) from their near ends 301, through connector chamber 124c, to condenser chamber 122c. Thus, interior sidewalls IW1-IW7 divide connector chamber 124c into channels C1-C8 that extend in parallel with each other between left and right edges of connector 124, and in parallel with length L2, from open near ends 302 of the channels that are adjacent to open edge E4, through the connector chamber, to condenser chamber 122c. Like interior walls IW1-IW7, channels C1-C8 terminate at their open near ends 302 adjacent to edge E4 of evaporator 120, but do not extend into the evaporator. Channels C1-C8 include left (e.g., first) channels C1-C4 and right (e.g., second) channels C5-C8 that extend in parallel on the left side and the right side of width W1 of connector chamber 124c, respectively.

In condenser chamber 122c, interior sidewalls IW1-IW3 turn or branch leftward (e.g., in a first direction), away from the center axis/center interior wall IW4, in a stepped fashion to retain their parallel spaced relationship in the condenser chamber. The turn may be a hard right-angle (i.e., 90°) turn to the left as shown, or may be a curved right-angle turn to the left along a bend. In another example, the turn may be less than a right-angle turn, e.g., an 80° turn. From there, interior sidewalls IW1-IW3 extend leftward (e.g., in the first direction) in parallel with each other (and in parallel with width W2 of condenser chamber 122c) toward a left edge E5 of condenser 122. In the example of FIG. 3, interior walls IW1-IW3 and center interior wall IW4 have left far ends 304L and a center far end 304C that stop short of (i.e., are spaced-apart from) left edge E5 and a top edge E6 of condenser 122, respectively, to leave small gaps or spaces between the far ends of the interior walls and the edges of the condenser. Following the paths defined by interior sidewalls IW1-IW3 and IW4 in condenser chamber 122c, first channels C1-C4 also turn left in the condenser chamber and extend in parallel with each other (and in parallel with width W2 of the condenser chamber) away from the center axis toward left edge E5 of the condenser chamber. In the example shown in FIG. 3, channels C1-C4 have open left far ends 306L that are not joined to edges of the condenser. That is, channels C1-C4 terminate at their open left far ends 306L near the edges of the condenser. This permits free liquid and vapor communication and mixing between channels C1-C4 at their open far ends. In another example, the far ends of interior walls IW1-IW4 are joined to the edges of condenser 122, in which case channels C1-C4 have closed far ends.

In condenser chamber 122c, opposite to interior sidewalls IW1-IW3, interior sidewalls IW5-IW7 turn or branch to the right (e.g., in a second direction generally opposite to the first direction), away from the center axis/center interior wall IW4, in a stepped fashion to retain their parallel spaced relationship. The turn may be a hard right-angle turn to the right as shown, or may be a curved right-angle turn to the left along a bend. In another example, the turn may be less than a right-angle turn, e.g., an 80° turn. From there, interior sidewalls IW5-IW7 extend rightward (e.g., in the second direction) in parallel with each other toward a right edge E7 of condenser 122. In the example of FIG. 3, interior walls IW5-IW7 have right far ends 304R that stop short of right edge E7 of condenser 122, to leave small gaps between the interior wall far ends and the edges of the condenser. Following the paths defined by interior sidewalls IW5-IW7 in condenser chamber 122c, second channels C5-C8 turn right in the condenser chamber and extend in parallel with each other (and in parallel with width W2) away from the center axis and away from channels C1-C4 toward right edge E7 of condenser 122. In the example shown in FIG. 3, channels C5-C8 have open right far ends 306R that are not joined to edges of the condenser. In another example, right far ends 304R of interior walls IW5-IW7 (and the center interior wall) are joined to the edges of condenser 122, in which case channels C5-C8 have closed far ends.

With reference to FIG. 6, VC structure 100 also includes a continuous wick layer (also referred to simply as a “wick”) 602 that lines/covers/coats substantially the entire interior surface of housing 102 (i.e., opposing interior surfaces of top and bottom area plates 108, 110, and the interior surface of sidewall 114) and coats both faces of each of the vertical sides of interior walls IW1-IW7. Thus, wick 602 extends continuously from inside of condenser 122 to inside of evaporator 120, along the inside of connector 124 and interior walls IW1-IW7 (and thus along the sides/walls that form channels C1-C8). Wick 602 may be made of sintered/powered metal, such as sintered/powdered copper, for example. In the example mentioned above in which interior walls IW1-IW7 comprise copper rods, the rods may be coated with the sintered copper. In another example, the interior walls may be made of the sintered copper, directly.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of top and bottom wick layers 602a, 602b of wick 602 to be applied to interior surfaces of top and bottom area plates 108, 110 of housing 102.

As mentioned above, VC heatsink 200 is configured to cool the heat source (e.g., the ASIC) in contact with the cold plate of metal block structure 204 due to interactions between VC structure 100 including its working fluid, the metal block structure, and heat fin stack 206. More specifically, evaporator 120 receives/absorbs heat generated by the heat source fixed to the cold plate and efficiently spreads the heat in two (planar) dimensions (e.g., radially, as shown in FIG. 3) across the evaporator chamber 120c. Heat spreads efficiently through evaporator chamber 120c in part because the evaporator chamber is open, i.e., free of obstructions, such as interior walls or other structures. The heat raises the temperature in evaporator chamber 120c, which vaporizes working fluid present in the evaporator chamber to a vapor (e.g., steam). Vapor pressure and convection in evaporator chamber 120c force the vapor into open near ends 302 of channels C1-C8 in connector chamber 124c. Channels C1-C4 then guide or direct the vapor through connector chamber 124c to condenser chamber 122c directionally along the length of the connector chamber. The directional flow of vapor is shown by solid arrows in FIGS. 3 and 6. When the vapor enters condenser chamber 122c, first channels C1-C4 direct the vapor leftward across the condenser chamber along its width to left edge E5, while second channels C5-C8 direct the vapor rightward across the condenser chamber to right edge E7. Thus, the configuration of channels C1-C8 in condenser chamber 122c efficiently spreads the vapor to and across opposing left and right sides of condenser chamber 122c.

Because condenser 122 is remote from the heat source, the condenser is cooler (i.e., lower in temperature than) evaporator 120. The lower temperature condenses the vapor in condenser chamber 122c to a liquid. The liquid adheres to the wick coating the interior surfaces of condenser 122 and the sides of channels C1-C8. Open left far ends 306L and open right far ends 306R of channels C1-C4 and C5-C7, respectively, encourage mixing between and movement of the vapor and liquid in condenser chamber 122c near the edges of condenser 122. Due to capillary pressure, the liquid flows directionally in/along wick 602 from condenser chamber 122c back to evaporator chamber 120c, through/along channels C1-C8. The directional flow of liquid is shown by dashed arrows in FIGS. 3 and 6. Thus, the vapor and the liquid flow through the same chambers, but generally in opposite directions. When the liquid enters evaporator chamber 120c, the cycle repeats. In this way, the working fluid circulates (i.e., flows back-and-forth) between evaporator 120 and condenser 122 through connector 124, and transitions between its vapor and liquid states/phase as described above, to transfer heat away from, and thereby cool, the heat source. The working fluid, in either vapor or liquid form, can fill large chamber 116 entirely because evaporator chamber 120c, connector chamber 124c, and condenser chamber 122c are in fluid communication with each other.

An advantage of the configuration of channels C1-C8 is that they constrain the flow of vapor and liquid in opposite directions of one dimension (along the length of connector 124 and the width of condenser 122, but not in the vertical/height direction), which increases transportation speed and efficiency. That is, channels C1-C8 force gas-liquid flow in a directional order to enhance thermal performance. Moreover, circulation of the working fluid does not depend on gravity.

With reference to FIG. 8, there is a flowchart of an example method 800 of cooling a heat source using a VC structure. The operations of method 800 are described above.

Operation 802 includes providing a housing having (i) an exterior surface with an area to be positioned adjacent to the heat source, (ii) an interior surface to enclose contiguous chambers including an evaporator chamber adjacent to the area, a condenser chamber spaced from the evaporator chamber, and a connector chamber connecting the evaporator chamber to the condenser chamber, and (iii) interior walls that partition the contiguous chambers into channels that have open near ends adjacent to the evaporator chamber. The channels extend from their open near ends, through the connector chamber, and into the condenser chamber, to provide fluid communication between the evaporator chamber and the condenser chamber.

Operation 804 includes providing a wick that coats the interior surface of the housing that contains the evaporator chamber, the condenser chamber, and the connector chamber, and coats the interior walls that form the channels.

Operation 806 includes providing a working fluid in the contiguous chambers.

Operation 808 includes, by the evaporator chamber, receiving heat from the heat source, which causes the working fluid in the evaporator chamber to vaporize from a liquid to a vapor.

Operation 810 includes, by the channels, directing the vapor from the evaporator chamber to the condenser chamber.

Operation 812 includes (i) by the channels, spreading the vapor in the condenser chamber in opposite directions to edges of the condenser chamber, and (ii) by the condenser chamber, condensing the vapor to the liquid.

Operation 814 includes, by the wick, transporting the liquid from the condenser chamber, along the interior walls forming the channels, to the evaporator chamber.

The VC heatsink provides a higher cooling and thermal performance compared to conventional heatpipe heatsinks. The VC heatsink also avoids drying-out of the wick at the evaporator. The VC heatsink reduces metal (e.g., copper) usage, and weight compared to the conventional heatpipe heatsinks.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an apparatus in the form of a vapor chamber for a heatsink including: a housing having (i) an exterior surface with an area to be adjacent to a heat source, (ii) an interior surface to enclose contiguous chambers including an evaporator chamber adjacent to the area, a condenser chamber spaced from the evaporator chamber, and a connector chamber connecting the evaporator chamber to the condenser chamber, and (iii) interior walls that partition the contiguous chambers into channels that have open near ends adjacent to the evaporator chamber, wherein the channels extend from the open near ends, through the connector chamber, and into the condenser chamber, to provide fluid communication between the evaporator chamber and the condenser chamber; a wick on the interior surface of the housing that contains the evaporator chamber, the condenser chamber, the connector chamber, and on the interior walls of the channels; and a working fluid in the contiguous chambers to circulate between the evaporator chamber and the condenser chamber via the channels to transfer heat away from and cool the heat source.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a vapor chamber, wherein: the housing has a length and a width that is transverse to the length; the evaporator chamber is spaced from the condenser chamber along the length; and the channels include first channels and second channels that extend through the connector chamber in parallel with each other on a first side and a second side of the width, respectively, and branch away from each other in the condenser chamber.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a vapor chamber, wherein the open near ends of the channels terminate at an edge of the evaporator chamber so as not to enter the evaporator chamber, and the channels terminate at open far ends of the channels within the condenser chamber.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a vapor chamber, wherein the open near ends of the channels terminate at an edge of the evaporator chamber so as not to enter the evaporator chamber, and the channels terminate at closed far ends of the channels that are joined to the housing in the condenser chamber.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a vapor chamber, wherein the housing includes: top and bottom area plates, spaced-apart from each other by a height that is transverse to a length and a width of the housing, the top and bottom area plates having respective edges that are joined together to form contiguous housing sections that enclose the contiguous chambers.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a vapor chamber, wherein the contiguous housing sections form an evaporator, a condenser spaced-apart from the evaporator along the length, and a connector section connecting the evaporator to the condenser that respectively contain the evaporator chamber, the condenser chamber, and the connector chamber.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a vapor chamber, wherein an outer surface of the evaporator includes the area to be adjacent to the heat source.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a vapor chamber, wherein, to cool the heat source: the evaporator is configured to spread the heat from the heat source across the evaporator to cause the working fluid to vaporize from a liquid to a vapor; the channels are configured to direct the vapor from the evaporator to the condenser; the condenser is configured to condense the vapor to the liquid; and the wick is configured to transport the liquid from the condenser, along the interior walls forming the channels, to the evaporator.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a vapor chamber, wherein the housing has a T-shape such that the evaporator and the connector section are connected in series to form a leg of the T-shape and the condenser forms a crossbar of the T-shape that is joined to the leg of the T-shape.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a vapor chamber, wherein the interior walls are configured to form first channels and second channels of the channels that extend through the connector section in parallel with each other on a first side and a second side of the width, respectively, and extend away from each other in the condenser.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a vapor chamber, wherein the interior walls (i) have top and bottom edges joined to the top and bottom area plates along lengths of the interior walls, and (ii) are spaced-apart from each other across the width so as to be parallel with each other along the lengths of the interior walls.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a vapor chamber, wherein the housing includes copper, and the wick includes sintered copper.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an apparatus in the form of a vapor chamber heatsink including: a vapor chamber including: a housing to form an evaporator that contains an evaporator chamber, a condenser spaced-apart from the evaporator and that contains a condenser chamber, and a connector section that connects the evaporator to the condenser and contains a connector chamber, the housing including interior walls that partition the connector chamber and the condenser chamber into channels that have open near ends adjacent to the evaporator chamber, wherein the channels extend from the open near ends, through the connector chamber, and into the condenser chamber, to provide fluid communication between the evaporator chamber and the condenser chamber; a wick on an interior surface of the evaporator, the connector section, and the condenser, and on the interior walls of the channels; and a working fluid to circulate between the evaporator chamber and the condenser chamber via the channels; a cold plate fixed to the evaporator to apply heat from a heat source to the evaporator; and a heat fin stack fixed to the condenser.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a vapor chamber heatsink, wherein: the channels extend in parallel through the connector chamber along a length of the connector chamber, and the channels extend in parallel along a width of the condenser chamber that is transverse to the length.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a vapor chamber heatsink, wherein: the channels include first channels and second channels that (i) extend through the connector chamber in parallel on a first side and a second side of the width, respectively, and (ii) branch away from each other in the condenser chamber.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a vapor chamber heatsink, wherein the housing has a T-shape such that the evaporator and the connector section are connected in series to form a leg of the T-shape and the condenser forms a crossbar of the T-shape that is joined to the leg of the T-shape.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a vapor chamber heatsink, wherein, to cool the heat source: the evaporator is configured to spread the heat across the evaporator to cause the working fluid to vaporize from a liquid to a vapor; the channels are configured to direct the vapor from the evaporator to and across the condenser; the condenser is configured to condense the vapor to the liquid; and the wick is configured to transport the liquid from the condenser, along the channels, to the evaporator.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method including: providing a housing having (i) an exterior surface with an area to be positioned adjacent to a heat source, (ii) an interior surface to enclose contiguous chambers including an evaporator chamber adjacent to the area, a condenser chamber spaced from the evaporator chamber, and a connector chamber connecting the evaporator chamber to the condenser chamber, and (iii) interior walls that partition the contiguous chambers into channels that have open near ends adjacent to the evaporator chamber, wherein the channels extend from the open near ends, through the connector chamber, and into the condenser chamber, to provide fluid communication between the evaporator chamber and the condenser chamber; providing a wick on the interior surface of the housing that contains the evaporator chamber, the condenser chamber, the connector chamber, and on the interior walls of the channels; providing a working fluid in the contiguous chambers; by the evaporator chamber, receiving heat from the heat source, which causes the working fluid to vaporize from a liquid to a vapor; by the channels, directing the vapor from the evaporator chamber to the condenser chamber; by the condenser chamber, condensing the vapor to the liquid; and by the wick, transporting the liquid from the condenser chamber, along the interior walls forming the channels, to the evaporator chamber.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein the interior walls form first channels and second channels of the channels that extend through the connector chamber in parallel with each other on a first side and a second side of a width of the connector chamber, respectively, and extend away from each other in the condenser chamber.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein the open near ends of the channels terminate at an edge of the evaporator chamber so as not to enter the evaporator chamber, and the channels terminate at open far ends of the channels in the condenser chamber.

Note that in this Specification, references to various features (e.g., elements, structures, nodes, modules, components, engines, logic, steps, operations, functions, characteristics, etc.) included in ‘one embodiment’, ‘example embodiment’, ‘an embodiment’, ‘another embodiment’, ‘certain embodiments’, ‘some embodiments’, ‘various embodiments’, ‘other embodiments’, ‘alternative embodiment’, and the like are intended to mean that any such features are included in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, but may or may not necessarily be combined in the same embodiments.

It is also noted that the operations and steps described with reference to the preceding figures illustrate only some of the possible scenarios that may be executed by one or more components/entities discussed herein. Some of these operations may be deleted or removed where appropriate, or these steps may be modified or changed considerably without departing from the scope of the presented concepts. In addition, the timing and sequence of these operations may be altered considerably and still achieve the results taught in this disclosure. The preceding operational flows have been offered for purposes of example and discussion. Substantial flexibility is provided by the embodiments in that any suitable arrangements, chronologies, configurations, and timing mechanisms may be provided without departing from the teachings of the discussed concepts.

As used herein, terms such as first and second, left and right, and upper and lower, are relative and may be used in place of each other. For example, first and left (or right) may be used interchangeably, second and right (or left) may be used interchangeably, first and upper (or lower) may be used interchangeably, and second and lower (or upper) may be used interchangeably. As used herein, unless expressly stated to the contrary, use of the phrase ‘at least one of’, ‘one or more of’, ‘and/or’, variations thereof, or the like are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation for any and all possible combination of the associated listed items. For example, each of the expressions ‘at least one of X, Y and Z’, ‘at least one of X, Y or Z’, ‘one or more of X, Y and Z’, ‘one or more of X, Y or Z’ and ‘X, Y and/or Z’ can mean any of the following: 1) X, but not Y and not Z; 2) Y, but not X and not Z; 3) Z, but not X and not Y; 4) X and Y, but not Z; 5) X and Z, but not Y; 6) Y and Z, but not X; or 7) X, Y, and Z.

Each example embodiment disclosed herein has been included to present one or more different features. However, all disclosed example embodiments are designed to work together as part of a single larger system or method. This disclosure explicitly envisions compound embodiments that combine multiple previously discussed features in different example embodiments into a single system or method.

Additionally, unless expressly stated to the contrary, the terms ‘first’, ‘second’, ‘third’, etc., are intended to distinguish the particular nouns they modify (e.g., element, condition, node, module, activity, operation, etc.). Unless expressly stated to the contrary, the use of these terms is not intended to indicate any type of order, rank, importance, temporal sequence, or hierarchy of the modified noun. For example, ‘first X’ and ‘second X’ are intended to designate two ‘X’ elements that are not necessarily limited by any order, rank, importance, temporal sequence, or hierarchy of the two elements. Further as referred to herein, ‘at least one of’ and ‘one or more of’ can be represented using the ‘(s)’ nomenclature (e.g., one or more element(s)).

One or more advantages described herein are not meant to suggest that any one of the embodiments described herein necessarily provides all of the described advantages or that all the embodiments of the present disclosure necessarily provide any one of the described advantages. Numerous other changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and/or modifications may be ascertained to one skilled in the art and it is intended that the present disclosure encompass all such changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and/or modifications as falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A vapor chamber for a heatsink comprising: a housing having an exterior surface with an area to be positioned adjacent to a heat source, an interior surface to enclose contiguous chambers including an evaporator chamber adjacent to the area, a condenser chamber spaced from the evaporator chamber, and a connector chamber connecting the evaporator chamber to the condenser chamber, and interior walls that partition the contiguous chambers into channels that have open near ends adjacent to the evaporator chamber, wherein the channels extend from the open near ends, through the connector chamber, and into the condenser chamber, to provide fluid communication between the evaporator chamber and the condenser chamber;a wick on the interior surface of the housing that contains the evaporator chamber, the condenser chamber, and the connector chamber, and on the interior walls of the channels; anda working fluid in the contiguous chambers to circulate between the evaporator chamber and the condenser chamber via the channels to transfer heat away from and cool the heat source.

2. The vapor chamber of claim 1, wherein: the housing has a length and a width that is transverse to the length;the evaporator chamber is spaced from the condenser chamber along the length; andthe channels include first channels and second channels that extend through the connector chamber in parallel with each other on a first side and a second side of the width, respectively, and branch away from each other in the condenser chamber.

3. The vapor chamber of claim 1, wherein the open near ends of the channels terminate at an edge of the evaporator chamber so as not to enter the evaporator chamber, and the channels terminate at open far ends of the channels within the condenser chamber.

4. (canceled)

5. The vapor chamber of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises: top and bottom area plates, spaced-apart from each other by a height that is transverse to a length and a width of the housing, the top and bottom area plates having respective edges that are joined together to form contiguous housing sections that enclose the contiguous chambers.

6. The vapor chamber of claim 5, wherein the contiguous housing sections form an evaporator, a condenser spaced-apart from the evaporator along the length, and a connector section connecting the evaporator to the condenser that respectively contain the evaporator chamber, the condenser chamber, and the connector chamber.

7. The vapor chamber of claim 6, wherein an outer surface of the evaporator comprises the area to be positioned adjacent to the heat source.

8. The vapor chamber of claim 7, wherein, to cool the heat source: the evaporator is configured to spread the heat from the heat source across the evaporator to cause the working fluid to vaporize from a liquid to a vapor;the channels are configured to direct the vapor from the evaporator to the condenser;the condenser is configured to condense the vapor to the liquid; andthe wick is configured to transport the liquid from the condenser, along the interior walls forming the channels, to the evaporator.

9. The vapor chamber of claim 6, wherein the housing has a T-shape such that the evaporator and the connector section are connected in series to form a leg of the T-shape and the condenser forms a crossbar of the T-shape that is joined to the leg of the T-shape.

10. The vapor chamber of claim 6, wherein the interior walls are configured to form first channels and second channels of the channels that extend through the connector section in parallel with each other on a first side and a second side of the width, respectively, and extend away from each other in the condenser.

11. The vapor chamber of claim 5, wherein the interior walls (i) have top and bottom edges joined to the top and bottom area plates along lengths of the interior walls, and (ii) are spaced-apart from each other across the width so as to be parallel with each other along the lengths of the interior walls.

12. The vapor chamber of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises copper and the wick comprises sintered copper.

13. A vapor chamber heatsink comprising: a vapor chamber including: a housing to form an evaporator that contains an evaporator chamber, a condenser spaced-apart from the evaporator and that contains a condenser chamber, and a connector section that connects the evaporator to the condenser and contains a connector chamber, the housing including interior walls that partition the connector chamber and the condenser chamber into channels that have open near ends adjacent to the evaporator chamber, wherein the channels extend from the open near ends, through the connector chamber, and into the condenser chamber, to provide fluid communication between the evaporator chamber and the condenser chamber;a wick on an interior surface of the evaporator, the connector section, and the condenser, and on the interior walls of the channels; anda working fluid to circulate between the evaporator chamber and the condenser chamber via the channels;a cold plate fixed to the evaporator to apply heat from a heat source to the evaporator; anda heat fin stack fixed to the condenser.

14. The vapor chamber heatsink of claim 13, wherein: the channels extend in parallel through the connector chamber along a length of the connector chamber, and the channels extend in parallel along a width of the condenser chamber that is transverse to the length.

15. The vapor chamber heatsink of claim 14, wherein: the channels include first channels and second channels that (i) extend through the connector chamber in parallel on a first side and a second side of the width, respectively, and (ii) branch away from each other in the condenser chamber.

16. The vapor chamber heatsink of claim 13, wherein the housing has a T-shape such that the evaporator and the connector section are connected in series to form a leg of the T-shape and the condenser forms a crossbar of the T-shape that is joined to the leg of the T-shape.

17. The vapor chamber heatsink of claim 13, wherein, to cool the heat source: the evaporator is configured to spread the heat across the evaporator to cause the working fluid to vaporize from a liquid to a vapor;the channels are configured to direct the vapor from the evaporator to and across the condenser;the condenser is configured to condense the vapor to the liquid; andthe wick is configured to transport the liquid from the condenser, along the channels, to the evaporator.

18. A method comprising: providing a housing having an exterior surface with an area to be positioned adjacent to a heat source, an interior surface to enclose contiguous chambers including an evaporator chamber adjacent to the area, a condenser chamber spaced from the evaporator chamber, and a connector chamber connecting the evaporator chamber to the condenser chamber, and interior walls that partition the contiguous chambers into channels that have open near ends adjacent to the evaporator chamber, wherein the channels extend from the open near ends, through the connector chamber, and into the condenser chamber, to provide fluid communication between the evaporator chamber and the condenser chamber;providing a wick on the interior surface of the housing that contains the evaporator chamber, the condenser chamber, and the connector chamber, and on the interior walls of the channels;providing a working fluid in the contiguous chambers;by the evaporator chamber, receiving heat from the heat source, which causes the working fluid to vaporize from a liquid to a vapor;by the channels, directing the vapor from the evaporator chamber to the condenser chamber;by the condenser chamber, condensing the vapor to the liquid; andby the wick, transporting the liquid from the condenser chamber, along the interior walls forming the channels, to the evaporator chamber.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the interior walls form first channels and second channels of the channels that extend through the connector chamber in parallel with each other on a first side and a second side of a width of the connector chamber, respectively, and extend away from each other in the condenser chamber.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the open near ends of the channels terminate at an edge of the evaporator chamber so as not to enter the evaporator chamber, and the channels terminate at open far ends of the channels in the condenser chamber.

21. The vapor chamber of claim 1, wherein the working fluid includes water.