A review of fabrication and performance of heat pipes with grooved wick structure

With the development of modern microelectronics technology, electronic chips are constantly evolving towards high performance, miniaturization and integration, which demands solution for thermal management of high heat fluxes. As an efficient phase-change heat transfer device, heat pipes have become the primary solution to the thermal management of electronic devices due to their high thermal conductivity and strong stability. The wick structure inside the heat pipes provides the capillary force and channel for the condensing fluid, which is vital to achieve the phase change heat transfer. The grooved wick structure has the advantages of light weight, stable structure and long service life. The heat pipes with grooved wick are widely used in high-speed railway, 3C electronics, aerospace and other fields with high requirements for the stability of thermal control devices. In this paper, the types of heat pipes with grooved wick structure and their packaging process are introduced in detail. The current research progresses on the fabrication of grooved wick structures are summarized. The manufacturing methods of different grooved wick structure and their advantages and disadvantages are discussed. Additionally, the problems that existed in various manufacturing methods are pointed out and it is also suggested that more efforts should be made to what in the future.