Fabrication and Performance of Aluminum-Based Composite Wicks Using a Two-Step Laser-Sintering Process

The evolution of 5G technology necessitates effective thermal management strategies for compact, high-power devices. The potential of aluminum-based vapor chambers (VCs) as thermal management solutions is recognized, yet the heat transfer performance is limited by the capillary constraints of the wick structures. This study proposes a laser-sintered composite wick to address this limitation. Experimental evaluations were conducted on microgroove wicks (MW) and groove-spiral woven mesh composite wicks (GSCW), utilizing ethanol and acetone as the working fluids. The MW, characterized by a laser spacing of 0.2 mm and two passes, demonstrated a capillary rise of 52.90 mm, while the spiral woven mesh (SWM) achieved a rise of 61.48 mm. Notably, the GSCW surpassed both configurations, reaching a capillary height of 84.57 mm and a capillary parameter (K/Reff) of 2.769 μm, which corresponds to increases of 90.15% and 43.76% over the MW and SWM, respectively. This study demonstrates an effective approach to enhancing the capillary performance of aluminum wicks, which provides valuable insights for the design of composite wicks, particularly for applications in ultra-thin aluminum VC.