Feng, H., Tang, G., & Zhang, X. (2026). Investigation of coolant-dependent thermal performance in backside-embedded micro-pin fin arrays for high-power microelectronics cooling. International Journal of Thermal Sciences, 220, 110273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2025.110273
Abstract:
Liquid cooling with embedded micro-pin fins is gaining increasing attention for microelectronics due to its ability to enhance heat transfer with minimal flow resistance. Various coolants have been employed in micro-pin fin cooling systems. This study investigates the cooling performance of three typical coolants, namely, deionized water, Novec 7500 (a dielectric liquid), and GaInSn (a liquid metal), applied to a chip with backside-embedded micro-pin fins under a range of operating conditions. The numerical simulation models are validated against experimental data using deionized water. The simulation results show that the cooling performance remains largely insensitive to tip clearance in the range of 0–50 um, offering an advantage for integration by accommodating variations in bonding layer thickness. The pitch of micro-pin fins significantly affects the heat transfer efficiency when using deionized water and Novec 7500, but has minimal influence on GaInSn due to its superior thermal conductivity. This suggests that liquid metal-based microcoolers, such as those using GaInSn, enable simpler designs with markedly reduced flow resistance compared to conventional coolants. Additionally, GaInSn exhibits a substantially higher coefficient of performance under identical operating conditions. These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing microcooler design and coolant selection to improve thermal management in high-performance microelectronics.
License type:
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Funding Info:
This research / project is supported by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore (A*STAR) - Council Strategic Fund
Grant Reference no. : C210415009
This research / project is supported by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore (A*STAR) - Applied Centre of Excellence in Advanced Packaging 3.0
Grant Reference no. : I2101E0008