Design for manufacturability of SISE parallel plate forced convection heat sinks

The development of cost/effective heat sinks for microelectronic applications involves the achievement of a subtle balance between the thermal design, for maximum heat rejection, and "design for manufacturability," for lowest material and manufacturing costs. The study reported herein extends a previously reported methodology to forced convection cooled rectangular plate heat sinks. Using a well validated analytical model, the thermofluid performance of the side-inlet-side-exit (SISE) heat sink has been characterized, parametric optimization carried out, and the maximum heat transfer capabilities for a range of operating points has been determined. A least-material optimization has been performed to achieve optimal material use. The analysis indicates the least-material design to provide significant mass savings for a moderate penalty in thermal performance. Empirical criteria for manufacturability obtained from several heat sink manufacturers lead to qualitative guidelines.