Comparative analysis of different microfluidic cooling technologies for high performance chips

Thermal management has emerged as a crucial factor restricting device functionality and lifetime. The enhancement of IC fabrication technology has led to a dramatical increase in chip performance and power density. The heat flux of hotspots in the future will approach 1000W/cm(-2). This article provides a theoretical analysis that compares the distribution of thermal resistance among three cooling schemes: remote cooling, near-die cooling, and die-embedded cooling. The results indicate that selecting TIM1 with high thermal conductivity can significantly diminish the thermal resistance of remote cooling and near-die cooling in the case of uniform heating and single hotspot heating. This study provides a valuable reference for engineers in selecting microfluidic cooling schemes for high performance chips.