Frore Systems Inc.

Vikram Mukundan

Suryaprakash Ganti

Seshagiri Rao Madhavapeddy

Prabhu Sathyamurthy

Ananth Saran Yalamarthy

Narayana Prasad Rayapati

Brian James Gally

Prathima Kapa

Leonard Eugene Fennell

Lumaya Ahmed

Marc Mignard

Shekhar Halakatti

Nilesh Sudhir Hasabnis

Ming Tung

Ji Hoon Kim

Sangkyu Kim

Wen-Sheng Chan

William Finn Ninian Paisley

A server system is described. The server system includes a vapor chamber in thermal communication with a plurality of heat sources and an array of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) jets arranged to cause a fluid to impinge on a surface of the vapor chamber.

MEMS-based system for cooling a vapor chamber

A flow chamber, a cooling system and a method are described. The flow chamber includes an upper chamber including a top wall, an actuator, and a lower chamber. The actuator is located distally from the top wall. The lower chamber receives fluid from the upper chamber when the actuator is actuated. The top wall includes at least one cavity therein. The cooling system utilizes cooling cells including the flow chamber. The method includes driving the actuator at a frequency that directs fluid through the flow chamber.

Top chamber cavities for center-pinned actuators

A cooling system is described. The cooling system includes a cooling element and a support structure. The cooling element is configured to undergo vibrational motion when actuated to drive a fluid toward a heat-generating structure. The cooling element includes a piezoelectric structure including a substrate having a first side and a second side opposite to the first side. A first piezoelectric layer is on the first side. A second piezoelectric layer is on the second side. The support structure is coupled to the cooling element and configured to support the cooling element.

Actuator designs for MEMS-based active cooling

A cooling system is described. The cooling system includes a bottom plate, a support structure, and a cooling element. The bottom plate has orifices therein. The cooling element has a central axis and is supported by the support structure at the central axis. A first portion of the cooling element is on a first side of the central axis and a second portion of the cooling element is on a second side of the central axis opposite to the first side. The first and second portions of the cooling element are unpinned. The first portion and the second portion are configured to undergo vibrational motion when actuated to drive a fluid toward a heat-generating structure. The support structure couples the cooling element to the bottom plate. At least one of the support structure is an adhesive support structure or the support structure undergoes rotational motion in response to the vibrational motion. The adhesive support structure has at least one lateral dimension defined by a trench in the cooling element or the bottom plate.

Anchor and cavity configuration for MEMS-based cooling systems

An actuator usable in a cooling system is described. The actuator includes an anchored region and a cantilevered arm. The cantilevered arm extends outward from the anchored region. The cantilevered arm includes a step region, an extension region and an outer region. The step region extends outward from the anchored region and has a step thickness. The extension region extends outward from the step region and has an extension thickness less than the step thickness. The outer region extends outward from the extension region and has an outer thickness greater than the extension thickness.

Engineered actuators usable in MEMs active cooling devices

A method for providing a cooling system is described. The method includes providing a plurality of sheets. Each sheet includes at least one structure for a level in each cooling cell of a plurality of cooling cells. A particular level of each cooling cell includes a cooling element having a first side and a second side. The cooling element is configured to undergo vibrational motion to drive fluid from the first side to the second side. The method also includes aligning the sheets, attaching the sheets to form a laminate that includes the cooling cells, and separating the laminate into sections. Each section includes at least one cooling cell.

Method for fabricating MEMS-based cooling systems

A cooling system for a computing device is described. The cooling system includes a heat transfer structure. The heat transfer structure includes a heat spreader, a fin structure, and a differential pressure device. The fin structure transfers heat from the heat spreader to a fluid. The differential pressure device generates a low pressure region that draws the fluid from an ingress in the computing device through the fin structure. The heat transfer structure is enclosed in a chamber of the computing device. The chamber includes the ingress and an egress.

Integration of active MEMS cooling systems into thin computing devices

A system including a plurality of cooling cells is described. Each of the cooling cells includes a support structure and a cooling element. The cooling element has a central region having an axis and a perimeter. The cooling element IS supported by the support structure at the central region and along the axis. At least a portion of the perimeter being unpinned. The cooling element is configured to undergo vibrational motion when actuated to drive a fluid toward a heat-generating structure. A portion of the cooling cells aligned along the axis are physically connected such that the cooling cells form an integrated cooling cell tile.

Tiles having multiple cooling cells for MEMS-based cooling

A flow chamber having an upper chamber, a lower chamber, and an actuator is described. The upper chamber includes a top wall. The actuator is located distally from the top wall. The lower chamber includes a bottom wall and a sidewall. The lower chamber receives a fluid from the upper chamber when the actuator is activated. The bottom wall has orifices and at least one cavity therein. The orifices are vertically aligned with a portion of the actuator and allow the fluid to exit the lower chamber. The at least one cavity is proximate to the sidewall and distally located from the orifices.

Cavities for center-pinned actuator cooling systems

An active cooling system includes at least one cooling element that has a vent therein. The active cooling element is in communication with a fluid. The cooling element(s) are actuated to vibrate to drive the fluid toward a heat-generating structure and to alternately open and close at least one virtual valve corresponding to the vent. The virtual valve is open for a low flow resistance and closed for a high flow resistance. The vent remains physically open when the virtual valve is closed.

Virtual valve in a MEMS-based cooling system

A system including a cooling element and a support structure is described. The cooling element has a first side and a second side opposite to the first side. The cooling element is configured to undergo vibrational motion when actuated to drive a fluid from the first side to the second side. The support structure thermally couples the cooling element to a heat-generating structure via thermal conduction.

Active heat sink

A cooling system is described. The cooling system includes a cooling element having a central region and a perimeter. The cooling element is anchored at the central region. At least a portion of the perimeter is unpinned. The cooling element is in communication with a fluid. The cooling element is actuated to induce vibrational motion to drive the fluid toward a heat-generating structure.

Centrally anchored MEMS-based active cooling systems

A cooling system including a support structure and a cooling element is described. The cooling element has a thickness and includes an anchored region and a cantilevered arm. The anchored region is coupled to and supported by the support structure. The cantilevered arm extends outward from the anchored region. The cantilevered arm includes at least one cavity therein. The at least one cavity has a depth of at least one-third and not more than three-fourths of the thickness of the cooling element. The cooling element is configured to undergo vibrational motion when actuated to drive a fluid for cooling a heat-generating structure.

Cooling element architecture for MEMS-based cooling system architecture

A heat transfer system includes fluid transfer cells that vibrationally move a fluid and a thermally conductive cover that conducts heat from the cells while avoiding transfer of mechanical energy between the cells. A fluid transfer module includes outer and inner walls, a support member, and a membrane. The outer wall has an outer opening. The inner wall has an inner opening. The support member is disposed laterally on the inner wall such that a flow chamber is defined between the outer and inner walls. The membrane is supported by the support member along the outer wall. A fluid transfer module includes an inlet port and an actuator. The actuator undergoes vibrational motion and has first and second vibrational modes. The first vibrational mode causes fluid to enter the inlet port. The second vibrational mode expels fluid from the inlet port, which reduces clogging of the inlet port.

Cover for MEMS-based cooling systems

A system including at least one heat-generating structure and a cooling system is described. The cooling system includes a cooling element and an exhaust system. The cooling element is in communication with a fluid and is configured to direct the fluid toward the heat-generating structure(s) using vibrational motion. The exhaust system is configured to direct fluid away from the heat-generating structure to extract the heat and/or to draw the fluid toward the cooling element.

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San Ramon, CA, United States of America

Vikram Mukundan