An investigation on the thermo-hydraulic and electrochemical performance of a novel vanadium-based embedded cooling system for synergistic energy supply and heat dissipation

Abstract

Miniaturization and integration of electronics require advanced heat dissipation techniques and efficient power interconnections. Integrating energy supply and heat dissipation into one fluidic network presents a viable approach to support compact, highly integrated chip designs. This study introduces an innovative microfluidic system that utilizes embedded cooling with vanadium electrolytes, enabling synergistic near-junction thermal management and power generation. The thermo-hydraulic and electrochemical performance of the system was evaluated under various conditions and subsequently applied to a real GaN chip. Results indicated that the system effectively dissipated a heat flux up to 317.06 W/cm² at a flow rate of 15 mL/min and an inlet temperature of 20 °C. When the flow rate was 2 mL/min, the system’s COP reached 113368. After heat absorption by the coolant, the system’s output power increased by 11.74 % with the temperature rise. High-temperature coolant enhanced ion transport and electrochemical kinetics, demonstrating the system’s potential for waste heat recovery. Upon integration with the GaN semiconductor, the system achieved power supply via waste heat recovery, reducing the hot spot temperature by 70.18 % and increasing the output current signal by 4.75 % compared to the thermally insulated devices.