Heat dissipation of electronic components by ionic wind from multi-needle electrodes discharge: Experimental and multi-physical analysis

High temperature during electronic components operation can cause the failure of PN junctions of chips, and it can even damage the entire component. Ionic wind is a promising technique for heat dissipation due to its noiseless, compact structure and flexible design. In this study, needle-ring-type ionic wind devices with multi-needle electrodes connected in parallel are developed for cooling an electronic component. The effects of the number of needles, needle electrode material (tungsten and stainless steel), inter-electrode distance on the device output velocity and cooling performance are experimentally studied for a cylindrical heat sink mounted with a heating film. A full three-dimensional multi-physical numerical method, in which the coupled effects of the electric field, air flow, and heat transfer are considered, is also established. Mutual interference of the electric fields is identified between needle electrodes. The ionic wind velocity is determined by electric field strength and the angle between the ring axis and the line that connects the needle tip and the upper edge of the ring. The wind velocity first decreases and then increases with continuously increasing inter-electrode distance. Although the electrode material has an obvious effect on the ionic wind velocity of the free flow state, the heating film surface temperature is not sensitive to the needle material, whereas it is sensitive to the inter-electrode distance and the number of needles. The output wind velocity of the four-needle layout is larger than that of the three-needle layout despite backflow inside the ring. The heating film surface temperature is below 55 °C for the two designed electrode layouts, which is lower than the safety temperature of 70 °C. This study can serve as a guideline for developing multi-electrode ionic wind cooling systems.