芯片强化散热研究新领域——低熔点液体金属散热技术的提出与发展

近年来,高集成度计算机芯片、光电器件等引发的热障问题,已成为制约其持续发展的技术瓶颈之一。围绕这一紧迫现实需求,提出将室温下呈液体状态的低熔点金属或其合金作为冷却流动工质,以发展先进芯片散热器的技术观念,并在相应的理论分析、试验研究及实际器件的研制等方面取得了进展。随后,国外也启动了类似研究,相应进展立即在产业界及学术界产生重要反响。种种态势表明,液体金属芯片散热技术已成为计算机热管理领域内极具探索价值的新前沿。由于液体金属热导率远高于常规流体,因而在传热效果上可望显著优于传统的液冷方法,该方法的建立为发展高性能芯片冷却技术开辟了一条全新的途径。回顾新方法提出的过程,归纳出其中有待解决的一些重要科学问题,并对其应用前景进行展望。

New Frontier in Enhanced Chip Cooling Its Proposal and Development of Liquid Cooling Method Using Low-melting-point Metal as Coolant

In recent years,the "thermal barrier" encountered in a highly integrated computer or optoelectronic chip has become a bottle neck to prevent its further development.To solve this urgent problem,we proposed for the first time the technical approach of using metal with low melting point or its alloy as the cooling fluid,so as to develop advanced chip cooling device.A series of progress of theoretical,experimental investigations as well as fabrication of practical devices were made.At a little later time,similar efforts were also made abroad,which immediately received intense attentions from both industry and academic fields.Various evidences indicate that,the liquid metal based chip cooling is becoming a new frontier in the thermal management of computer system.With much larger heat conductivity than that of ordinary fluids,the liquid metal would have superior heat transfer capacity over traditional coolant,which may lead to a brand new way for making advanced chip cooling device.In this paper the progress of the new method is reviewed,and the important scientific issues thus raised are summarized.Prospects for the application of the liquid metal cooling method is also discussed.