new liquid absorbing core materials assist in the evolution and innovation of ultra-thin VC
Recently, Murata Manufacturing announced that it has collaborated with precision metal technology manufacturer Ernst&Young to develop an ultra-thin soaking plate wick using new materials. The ultra-thin soaking plate made of this new liquid absorbing core material is manufactured and sold by another partner, Cooler Master, with a thickness reportedly as thin as 0.20 millimeters.
The vapor chamber that seals the working fluid and suction core in a vacuum shell is a thermal conductivity device. When the vapor chamber is connected to the heat source, the working fluid absorbs heat from the heat source and evaporates, and then the steam quickly diffuses inside the vapor chamber to the condensing end and releases heat. After releasing heat, the vapor condenses into a liquid and circulates back to the heat source through the fine structure of the wick.
The suction core is the medium for the working fluid of the vapor chamber to absorb heat, evaporate, and condense before returning. The fine structure of the suction core largely determines the performance of the vapor chamber, and in ultra-thin vapor chambers with a cavity thickness of only 0.10-0.20mm configured on smartphones and other devices, it is a common problem in the industry to balance the high capillary pressure of the suction core, low evaporation heat transfer resistance, high working liquid permeability, and low flow resistance.
It is understood that the types of absorbent cores for ultra-thin soaking plates (UTVC) include precision woven copper/stainless steel mesh, wet sintered slurry, etched capillary channels, in-situ grown microstructures, etc. At present, the most widely used is precision woven mesh. However, as the mass production thickness of UTVC decreases to below 0.25mm, it will lead to difficulties in manufacturing woven mesh absorbent core materials and insufficient water absorption capacity.
The lightness and thinness of mobile devices is the tireless pursuit of brand manufacturers, and high-performance ultra-thin vapor chambers are the key to helping light and thin devices efficiently solve heat dissipation problems. We believe that after rapid development in recent years, the ultra-thin vapor chamber industry has been basically stable, and low-cost, high-performance, and thin thickness are the common goals pursued by the industry.
Automated manufacturing processes and quality control can help production enterprises gain cost advantages. Exploring new types of liquid core materials or optimizing internal gas-liquid channel designs, moving towards thinner thicknesses and higher performance, will become a research and development focus for leading enterprises and a driving force for entry for lagging enterprises.
