Numerical Investigation of the Structural Integrity of Silicon Carbide and Copper Heat Sink

Two simple heat sink designs, made from Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Copper, are created and examined numerically using ANSYS Fluent and Structural simulations assuming a Silicon (Si) heater. The heat sink geometry considers a conventional rectangular straight microchannel (RSMC) heat sink with the Silicon heater resting atop the heat sink in every case. Microchannel heat sinks feature parallel microchannels to transfer heat away from electronic components to a fluid coolant through forced convection. In our implementation of the heat sink, water passes through the microchannels. This configuration has direct applications to many microelectronic settings, specifically 2.5D electronic packaging where there are copper and silicon components bonded together. When conducting the ANSYS Fluent analysis, the geometry remains consistent for both heat sink designs (SiC and Copper), as the focus is on determining whether each heat sink can withstand thermal loading with fluctuating heat flux based on inherent material properties. SiC has versatile properties, including high thermal conductivity, electrical resistivity, and a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) that is highly compatible with Silicon. Likewise, SiC also has a higher tensile strength and resistance of elastic deformation compared to copper. Therefore, SiC appears to be a good candidate in performing optimally and without failure as a heat sink. We assess structural integrity by performing a factor of safety analysis and evaluating the maximum shear and normal stresses. A factor of safety quantifies the extent to which a system's strength exceeds the required value. Failure can also be assessed using the maximum normal and shear stress failure criteria. By performing this type of analysis, we aim to establish a stronger foundation for evaluating factors, like fatigue life and crack propagation, further supporting the versatility of SiC in heating and cooling applications.

Author dc:creator

• Connor Kosowski (24399752)

• Engineering
• Mechanical

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

DOI dc:identifier

https://doi.org/10.25417/uic.32994245.v1

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:figshare.com:article/32994245