Coherent macro porous silicon as a wick structure in an integrated microfluidic two-phase cooling system

This paper reports a new concept of building a coherent porous wick structure in planar silicon wafers for capillary pumping in Loop Heat Pipes (LHPs). By utilizing Macro Porous Silicon (MPS) fabrication technology, with pore sizes in the order of a micron, precise control of the pore dimensions of the wick is possible. In addition, by using MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) fabrication technology, LHPs can ultimately be integrated into electronic packaging systems, or indeed into the silicon microchips themselves. The MPS samples were fabricated and tested for capillary pressure and permeability. The test results closely matched the analytical models that were derived from basic physics.