摘要
•Vapor chamber with dendritic copper wicks made by electrodeposition and sintering.•High capillary performance of 1.34 μm realized on a 300 μm-thick copper wick.•A low vapor chamber thermal resistance of 0.056 °C/W under a heat load of 500 W.•A maximum vapor chamber heat dissipation power up to 800 W.
Effective heat dissipation is crucial for maintaining high performance and reliability of microelectronic devices. This study examines the thermal performance of vapor chambers featuring various hierarchical dendritic wick structures. The capillary wicks, featuring different dendritic morphologies and thicknesses, are fabricated on high-strength cupronickel alloy substrates using electrodeposition and sintering processes. The optimal capillary performance value (K/Reff) of the featured wick structure is 1.34 µm. The wick’s multiscale porous structure facilitates liquid circulation, liquid/vapor phase-change efficiency, and vapor transport capability in the vapor chamber device. The diffusion-bonded vapor chamber devices, charged with different water-filling ratios, achieve a remarkably low thermal resistance of 0.056 °C/W at a heat load of 500 W and can operate effectively under 800 W. The vapor chamber device with hierarchical dendritic wicks stands out from traditional heat dissipation devices with sintered powder, mesh, and grooved wicks regarding capillarity and thermal performance, making it highly effective for dissipating heat from concentrated sources. This study will contribute to the development of vapor chamber technology for high-power heat dissipation applications.