Advancing cryogenic electronic cooling: A case study on embedded manifold microchannels in micromachined Joule-Thomson coolers

Thermal management plays a crucial role in the performance of electronic devices. For devices operating at room temperatures, manifold microchannels (MMCs) are essential for heat dissipation in heat sinks due to their low thermal resistance and pressure drop. However, their application in cryogenic electronic devices to enhance thermal performance has been largely unexplored. Herein, we integrated manifold microchannels into the evaporator of a micromachined Joule-Thomson (MJT) cooler to improve its cooling performance. The results show a notable reduction in the minimum cooling temperature from 105.0 K to 95.3 K, accompanied by an approximate 20 % increase in maximum cooling power. Furthermore, the coefficient of performance (COP) exhibits a rise of over 20 %. These findings underscore the feasibility and effectiveness of using MMCs in cryogenic electronic devices.