Electronic devices are becoming faster and more sophisticated, and the heat generated by internal components has also increased significantly. The increased adoption of 5G communications boasting higher speeds and capacity, and AI--which requires the processing of vast amounts of data--will also result in greater heat generation. This increased heat generation can reduce performance and cause greater wear on components, so efficiently dissipating it is essential.

Fine Grid Heat Pipe (FGHP), the world's highest-performance thin vapor chamber, is a specialized flat-plate heat piping used for diffusing heat. The design's superior heat diffusion performance evenly spreads ultra-high-density heat, thereby lowering the heat density for efficient heat dissipation, making FGHP ideal for FPGAs, GPUs, and other small, high-power ICs as well as next-generation compound semiconductors such as GaN and SiC.

Quick, even spreading of high-density heat to eliminate heat-related problems

FGHP applications and usage examples

FGHP thin vapor chambers offer superior heat diffusion performance to spread high-power, high-density heat quickly and evenly. Using FGHP as a heat spreader between a heating element and heat sink also increases heat dissipation efficiency. FGHP also offers efficient heat treatment for next-generation power semiconductors and laser oscillators, which are characterized by high spot temperatures.

Similar to a heat pipe, a vapor chamber is a metal heat dissipator that includes liquid sealed inside a hollow metal component to quickly transfer heat through repeated vaporization-based heat absorption and condensation-based heat dissipation. The extremely thin design allows for use in low-profile, lightweight devices for high-speed, large-volume processing that requires efficient heat dissipation.

The popularity of FPGAs, GPUs, and other small, high-power ICs--as well as next-generation compound semiconductors such as GaN and SiC--has significantly increased in recent years due to their high-performance capabilities, but such devices also generate high-density heat. Meanwhile, current thermal interface materials such as copper, aluminum, and graphite are becoming more difficult to work with in heat-conscious designs.

To counter this, FGHP has a horizontal thermal conductivity of 10,000 W/m-k and a vertical conductivity of 500 W/m-k (at 400 K with a transition temperature of 40 to 60°C), and is resistant to temperatures of up to 220°C (with lead-free soldering possible at 245°C). This advanced heat diffusion performance completely eliminates hot spots. FGHP also supports heat input (⌀120 mm) from high-power heat sources of 600 W or more, and at just 1.8 to 2.2 mm thick, it can be used even in compact devices.
This allows FGHP to dissipate heat more efficiently, preventing a variety of heat-related problems.

Efficient heat treatment through repeated evaporation and condensation

Superior efficiency of FGHP

FGHP is made up of three plates (upper, middle, and lower) of oxygen-free copper that are hot vacuum pressed without adhesives. The middle plate includes capillary channels (wicks) formed by the micro-etched copper structure, while the upper and lower plates have an etched dimple structure. Refrigerant (pure water) is sealed between the plates under vacuum, which ensures that heat is spread evenly and efficiently along the radially arranged vapor paths and capillary channels.

During heat dissipation, heat from the heat source causes the liquid refrigerant to evaporate and absorb the heat. The evaporated refrigerant is diffused along the vapor paths to the heat dissipator on the opposite side. Heat vapor is then dissipated in the heat dissipator, causing the refrigerant to condense back into a liquid. The liquid refrigerant then passes through the wick back to the heat receiver near the heat source. The convection caused by this evaporation and condensation cycle inside the layered structure ensures that heat is spread quickly to reduce thermal density.

The detailed dimple structures of the upper and lower plates in FGHP increase the surface area for improved heat absorption and dissipation. This allows for faster absorption of heat from the heat source and increased condensation of the diffused vapor. The precision-formed wicks also efficiently transfer the liquified refrigerant back to the heat receiver.

The overall cycle from evaporation and diffusion through heat absorption to condensation and refrigerant return through heat dissipation is performed quickly, providing unprecedented heat dissipation not possible with conventional thermal interface materials. The highly efficient horizontal transfer of heat also helps diffuse heat for reduced heat density and greater heat removal efficiency.

Future applications
Solving heat dissipation problems in next-generation devices

FGHP's advanced heat diffusion performance and thin profile make it ideal for cooling a variety of devices, including devices that generate ultra-high-density heat and small, lightweight devices with a limited operating temperature range.

In addition to being usable in small, high-output ICs for high-speed processing of large amounts of data such as for AI and machine learning, FGHP can also be used to cool next-generation power semiconductors for controlling high-power output in electric vehicles and other applications. FGHP can also effectively cool other devices that generate high-density heat, including high-power lasers for optical communication, densely-constructed high-brightness LEDs, and communication equipment that uses high-frequency radio waves such as 5G. The thin design also allows it to be used in small, lightweight mobile devices.
Heat dissipation is expected to be a major concern going forward, and FGHP will be key to solving such problems.

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