Liquid-Cooled Heat Sinks with Flexible Flow Path Design with Photo Etching and Diffusion Bonding Technology
Liquid-cooled heat sinks efficiently remove heat from high-performance components (CPU, GPU, ASIC etc.) in electronic devices and computers. UPT offers high cooling performance heat sinks with a combination of photo etching and diffusion bonding technology.
What is Liquid-Cooled Heat Sink?
A liquid-cooled heat sink is cooling device designed to efficiently remove heat from high-performance components (CPU, GPU, ASIC etc.) in electronic devices and computers. It uses a liquid coolant to maintain low temperatures of the components. A heat sink body is mainly made of copper or aluminum, a coolant to absorb heat, a pump to circulate the coolant, a radiator
to release heat, and tubes to facilitate circulation. It offers highly efficient cooling and is particularly suitable for high-performance electronic devices.
Principle and structure of Liquid-cooled heat sinks
A Liquid-cooled heat sinks consists of a heat transfer section that transfers heat from a high-heat generating device and a flow path (heat transfer section) that transfers the heat that has passed through the heat transfer section to the cooling liquid.
As a basic device cooling system, a pump is connected to the liquid-cooled heat sinks to flow the cooling liquid, and a radiator (heat exchanger) is connected to dissipate the heat of the cooling water heated by the heat emitted from the device and cool it again, circulating the cooling liquid.
UPT can manufacture this liquid-cooled heat sinks using thin-plate etching and diffusion bonding technology that overlaps many thin-plate etchings, instead of the conventional cutting process, which enables the formation of flow paths with complex three-dimensional shapes, and also applies flow path surface processing to reduce the heat transfer coefficient with the cooling liquid to achieve both low thermal resistance and low thermal capacity. This realizes liquid-cooled heat sinks .
Furthermore, we can provide liquid-cooled heat sinks that are easier for customers to use by manufacturing hybrid type liquid-cooled heat sinks by diffusion bonding, which combines metallic materials and high thermal conductive metallic materials that eliminate the need for maintenance of flow paths.
UPT’s Core Technologies Used in Liquid-Cooled Heat Sinks
UPT designs, manufactures and sells liquid-cooled heat sinks by combining the elemental technologies of photo-etching and diffusion bonding.
Photo-etching technology uses an etchant to chemically react and corrode metal to enable precision processing of thin metal substrates.
Diffusion bonding technology allows metal surfaces to be bonded together at the atomic level, resulting in a 3D structured metal part. This technology enables 3D channel structures that are difficult to machine to form metal structures with no gaps.
The combination of these two technologies enables the production of products that simultaneously achieve low thermal resistance and low thermal capacitance, which results in high cooling performance, durability, and greater design freedom than other manufacturing methods.
This makes it a superior technology for high performance applications and customization requirements.
- Formation of complex flow paths and hollow structures that cannot be achieved by cutting or other methods.
- Bonding technology that does not use brazing or adhesives, realizing a structure that is highly resistant to component deformation and deterioration.
- Diffusion bonding technology at the level of inter-elemental bonding allows for an ideal heat dissipation effect at the bonding surface with no gaps.
Applications and Uses of Liquid-Cooled Heat Sinks
Liquid-cooled heat sinks are essential cooling technologies used in the fields of electronics and semiconductor manufacturing.
Supercomputers
Generate large amounts of heat when processing high-load tasks. Liquid-cooled heat sinks can efficiently remove heat compared with air cooling, maximizing performance and extending component lifespan while reducing system noise.
Data Centers
In high-density server environment, efficient cooling is crucial. Liquid-cooled heat sinks effectively manage temperature within data centers, ensuring stable server operation and reducing downtime risks.
Industrial Equipment
Many industrial machines generate significant heat due to high output. Liquid-cooled heat sinks are suitable for efficiently cooling these machines, helping to maintain performance and extend lifespan. Stable cooling capability in laser processing machines contributes to maintaining performance and production efficiency. In power electronics, it prevents overheating-induced failures.
Automotive Industry
（Battery Cooling）
Automotive batteries generate significant heat during extended operation or rapid charging. Liquid-cooled heat sinks are used for efficient battery cooling, enhancing performance and lifespan. Proper temperature management maximizes vehicle range and ensures safety while reducing battery degradation and maintaining long-term reliability.
Trust UPT for Custom Liquid-Cooled Heat Sink Design
UPT specializes in custom design of liquid-cooled heat sinks. Please contact us If existing methods do not meet your cooling performance needs or if you face challenges with low design flexibility and product integration.