This paper addresses uses a “building block” approach to quantify thermal performance and determine the key challenges
for future enabling and package based cooling technologies using a range of “reasonable” boundary conditions. Model and
test data shows that the thermal resistances of the cold plates for both liquid cooling and phase-change device can drop to
approximately 0.08-0.1 oC/W. For the TEC based passive devices values lower than Ψsa =0.1 oC/W for powers up to 120-
130 Watts at a high coefficient of performance (COP=3) can be obtained. The enabled vapor compression refrigeration cooling test data shows that the thermal resistances of the entire system can be negative and can drop to approximately Ψsa =– 0.1 oC/W, but, in order to avoid condensation, for this study we only consider that Ψsa down to 0 oC/W. Using reasonable
boundary conditions for the micro channel cooling, we have
shown more than 100% improvements at low non-uniformity
heating and more than 50% at high non-uniformity heating
compared to conventional air cooling. For particular sets of
reasonable boundary conditions and hot spot density factor, the
cooling capability of different technologies may significantly
increase if the industry and academia will further focus and
solve the key challenges presented in the paper