Flow and Heat Transfer in a Cross-Linked Silicon Microchannel Heat Sink

Abstract

This paper presents the flow and heat transfer characteristics in a cross-linked silicon microchannel heat sink. The heat sink is composed of 45 channels, 269 μm wide x 283 μm tall, in a silicon substrate formed via deep reactive ion etching. A detailed discussion of the pressure drop data reduction is described, including characterization of the channel cross sections and methods to account for inlet and exit loss coefficients. No significant difference is observed in the pressure drop measurements between the cross-linked and standard heat sinks flowing air and water. The use of unencapsulated liquid crystal thermography was successfully used to obtain local heat transfer data with FC-72 as the working fluid. The heat transfer results show inflections in the thermal profile due to the cross links.