Electronic Cooling

Introduction

Electronic equipment has penetrated almost all facets of new life, from toys and appliances to powerful processors. The worthiness of an electronic system is a key aspect in the total reliability of the system. Guarnieri M (2016) specified in his article that, integrated circuits (IC) have progressed significantly later in 1949 Werner Jacobi published the first conception of IC. An IC is a tiny chip constructed of the semiconductor material silicon that may hold lots of microelements viz., capacitors, transistors and resistors. It is often created using the several-nanometer method. As seen in Figure 1, integrated circuits are now employed in practically all electronic equipment, and modern life is closely entwined with numerous electronic items. These apps have greatly increased the efficiency and quality of labor, production, and living for modern people.

Figure 1.

Major Applications of Integrated Circuits

Figure 2.

Dissemination of failure causes of electronic equipment.

Ho-Ming Tong et al. (2013) depicted the failure reasons of electronic equipment in percentages as shown in Figure 2. Temperature, vibration, humidity, and dust are the most common reasons for electronic component failure. The greatest risk of failure is owing to heat production, which causes component temperatures to rise (Upto 55%). Electronic components rely on the flow of electricity to accomplish their operations and thus become incredibly powerful heat sources when the current passes through the resistance, causing continual heat buildup. In his book, Yunus Cengel A (2003) noted that the constant downsizing of electronic structures has resulted in a significant increase in the rate of heat generation by the volume of each unit. The failure of electronic equipment increases dramatically as the temperature rises. Furthermore, temperature changes create a rise in heat at electrical device joints on PCBs, which is a major cause of failure.

Figure 3.

Maximum power consumption and heat flux density in the last 2 decades

Murshed S S et al. (2017) calculated the maximum energy required by the chip and the maximum heat flux created by the chip during the previous two decades as shown in Figure 3. As demonstrated in figure 3, the power needs and heat flux created have grown significantly between 2001 and 2018. More heat created causes high operating temperatures in electronic systems, endangering their protection and consistency if not adequately planned and controlled. As a result, heat management in the design and operation of electronic equipment has become important. Maintaining the operating temperature through adequate cooling is the only way to overcome these challenges in electronic systems. Heat generation rate and cooling mechanism are carefully selected based on the various electronic applications. This chapter discusses the cooling of electronic devices using different heat transfer augmentation methods.

The main objective of this chapter is to introduce the reader regarding the heat generation in electronic devices and their cooling and strategies/methods used for the management of heat in electronic components. Further, the chapter depicts the current status of research and development in “Electronic Cooling” and suggests the best cooling techniques.

This chapter explains the necessity of cooling for electronic devices, develops a history of cooling techniques used for electronic equipment, techniques/methods of thermal management in electronic devices, solutions and recommendations for effective cooling strategy, upcoming research methods and conclusion gives the summary of the electronic cooling.