A Vapor Chamber (VC radiator for short) is an ultra-thin, fully enclosed flat-plate radiator composed of a base plate, a frame and a cover plate. The inner wall of the cavity is equipped with a wick structure, which can absorb liquid and form capillary action. The vapor chamber uses the working fluid in the cavity to continuously perform evaporation-condensation cycles under low pressure environment, thereby quickly and uniformly adjusting the temperature and achieving efficient heat conduction and heat dissipation.
When the heat source transfers heat to the evaporation area, the working fluid is heated in a low-vacuum environment and evaporates rapidly. The vapor expands in the cavity and diffuses quickly to the entire chamber. When the vapor flows to a cooler area, it condenses and releases heat. The condensed working fluid then returns to the evaporation area through the capillary channels of the wick structure to form a continuous cycle, thereby realizing efficient heat transfer.
Why Use Vapor Chamber?
With the increase in power consumption of electronic components on the market, the degree of sealing and installation is becoming more and more miniaturized. In a narrow space, the contradiction between the performance of electronic components and the high heat flux they generate is becoming more and more serious. This problem is related to the reliability and service life of related equipment.
However, traditional cooling methods such as fans and heat pipes require more installation space due to their own volume factors, and fans are also noisy, with relatively small specific heat capacity of air. At the same time, installing multiple heat pipes will also increase contact thermal resistance. These factors will become obstacles to the heat dissipation of electronic components.
Therefore, an ultra-thin heat dissipation plate is needed, which is suitable for electronic components with high heat flux density in narrow spaces. A vapor chamber is a flat heat pipe that can quickly transfer and diffuse the heat flow gathered on the surface of the heat source to a larger condensation area, thereby promoting heat dissipation, reducing the heat flux density on the surface of components, and ensuring their reliable operation.
Comparison Between Vapor Chamber and Heat Pipe
The working principle of the vapor chamber is similar to that of the heat pipe. Both are completed in a vacuum cavity and conduct heat through the evaporation and flow of liquid.
The difference is that the heat transfer path of the heat pipe is one-dimensional, the transfer direction is single, and it mainly realizes one-dimensional heat transfer from the heat source to the radiator.
However, the heat transfer path of the vapor chamber is two-dimensional, and heat can be conducted in multiple horizontal directions, with higher heat dissipation efficiency.
Specifications of Vapor Chamber
| Parameter Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Material | C1100 |
| Size | 30mm×30mm~300mm×300mm, thickness about 2.0mm (depending on requirements) |
| Main Considerations | Heat dissipation, heat flux, loading force, VC size and flatness |
| Flatness | 0.0003~0.003mm/mm, can be designed according to customer's actual requirements |
| Heat Flux | 1~300 Watt/cm², can be designed according to customer's actual requirements |
| Working Fluid | Degassed pure water, oxygen content less than 10 ppb |
| Loading Force | Above 60LB, can be designed according to customer's actual requirements |
| Storage Temperature | -40℃~130℃ |
| Operating Temperature | 0℃~130℃ |
| Continuous Temperature | 130℃~250℃, can be designed according to customer's actual requirements |
| Thermal Shock | 25℃~-40℃~25℃~100℃~25℃, 250 cycles |
| Additional Requirements | Can be achieved through personalized design |
| Service Life | More than 7 years |
| RoHS | Compliant with RoHS |
Features and Structure of Vapor Chamber
Sealing Technology: Adopts high-temperature, high-pressure, vacuum and welding-material-free processes. During the bonding process, material particles rearrange, ensuring that the strength of the bonding interface is the same as that of the base material.
Post-processing: The finished product can undergo CNC machining, grinding and brushing.
Shape: Meet customer requirements according to stamping process.
Internal Support: Copper pillars, bonded to the top plate and base plate.
Wick Structure: Diffusion-bonded composite multi-layer mesh wick with hierarchical wick design.
Base: Multi-level bases are available.
Applications of Vapor Chamber
Due to its low thermal resistance, excellent temperature uniformity and high critical heat flux density, VC is currently widely used in many fields, such as IT products (high-end servers, servers, graphics cards, desktop computers, laptops), telecommunications/network equipment (high-end communication and telecommunication equipment, switches, routers), high-power LEDs, IGBT power supply systems, etc.
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Written by
CoolingThermal Engineering TeamCoolingThermal is an automation equipment manufacturer based in Kunshan, China, specializing in heat pipe and vapor chamber production equipment since 2017. Our engineering team designs, builds, and commissions complete production lines covering forming, degassing, welding, testing, and assembly processes. The technical content on this blog is written by the same team that develops the equipment — based on real production experience, not secondary research.
