A Review of Select Patented Technologies for Cooling of High Heat Flux Power Semiconductor Devices

Abstract

The development of wide band-gap power electronics over the last two decades has stimulated a tremendous amount of research into high-performance liquid cooling solutions for high heat flux (200-1000 W/cm$^{2}$) power semiconductor devices. A patent literature search for electronics cooling technologies was conducted in the late-2000 time frame and promising technologies for high-performance thermal management were identified, at that time, for research and development. These promising technologies were separated into four categories classified as single-phase (i.e., liquid) jet impingement cooling, microchannel cooling, phase change or two-phase cooling, and near-junction including direct chip cooling. In this letter, a perspective is provided on select patents from our group that stems from research into these technology areas from 2010 to 2022. Additionally, the thermal-fluid performance capability of each technology is briefly summarized. As a whole, the letter provides a demonstration of the historical significance of power electronics cooling technology on the mobility industry and briefly outlines future directions for research and development.