Vapor chamber heat spreaders with engineered vapor and liquid flow paths

1. A vapor chamber heat spreader, comprising

a condenser arranged at a first end of the vapor chamber heat spreader;

an evaporator arranged at a second end of the vapor chamber heat spreader, wherein the second end is opposite to the first end; and

multi-level wick structures arranged in a hot spot area, the multi-level wick structures comprising:

a first planar wick arranged adjacent to the condenser;

a second planar wick arranged adjacent to the evaporator;

a plurality of porous condenser posts for supplying liquid condensed by the condenser and having a cylindrical shape;

a plurality of porous evaporator posts for supplying the condensed liquid towards the evaporator and having a cylindrical shape; and

a mesh layer arranged between the condenser posts and the evaporator posts and configured to separate the condenser posts from the evaporator posts, the mesh layer including a plurality of vent holes present therein;

wherein the condenser posts extend from the first planar wick to the mesh layer and the evaporator posts extend from the mesh layer to the evaporator;

wherein vapor from the evaporator is operable to rise towards the condenser via the vent holes, and the condenser posts, the mesh layer and the evaporator posts form a liquid supply channel for supplying the condensed liquid; and

wherein the vent holes, the condenser posts and the evaporator posts do not overlap such that:

the evaporating posts are spaced apart from each other;

the vent holes are arranged between two neighboring evaporator posts; and

each condenser post is arranged between the two neighboring evaporator posts and between two neighboring vent holes present in the mesh layer.

2. The vapor chamber heat spreader of claim 1 , wherein the vapor rises through a first space between the evaporator posts and a second space between the condenser posts.

3. The vapor chamber heat spreader of claim 2 , wherein the multi-level wick structures further comprise a vapor supply channel including the first space, the second space and the vent holes.

4. The vapor chamber heat spreader of claim 1 , wherein the mesh layer includes a sintered porous layer.

5. The vapor chamber heat spreader of claim 1 , further comprising a lateral liquid supply channel for supplying the liquid laterally from the side of the vapor chamber to the evaporator, the lateral liquid supply channel arranged outside of the hot spot area.

6. The vapor chamber heat spreader of claim 1 , wherein porous condenser posts of the plurality of porous condenser posts are spaced apart from vent holes of the plurality of vent holes in a horizontal direction.

7. The vapor chamber heat spreader of claim 1 , wherein the first planar wick has a first porosity and the second planar wick has a second porosity that is different from the first porosity.

8. A multi-level wick structure for a vapor chamber heat spreader having a condenser and an evaporator, comprising:

a first porous layer arranged on a condenser side;

a second porous layer arranged on an evaporator side;

a first set of porous posts arranged adjacent to the first porous layer and having a cylindrical shape; and

a second set of porous posts arranged adjacent to the second porous layer and having a cylindrical shape;

a mesh layer having predetermined permeability and separating the first set of porous posts from the second set of porous posts and configured as a manifold to distribute the condensed liquid to the second set of porous posts, where the mesh layer further comprises a plurality of vent holes that permit vapor to rise towards the condenser side;

wherein the first set of porous posts and the second set of porous posts are configured to supply liquid condensed by the condenser from the condenser side to the evaporator side; and

wherein the vent holes and the first set of porous posts and the second set of porous posts do not overlap such that:

the second set of porous posts are spaced apart from each other;

the vent holes are arranged between two neighboring second set of porous posts; and

each of the first set of porous posts is arranged between the two neighboring second set of porous posts and between two neighboring vent holes present in the mesh layer.

9. The multi-level wick structures of claim 8 , wherein the first set of porous posts and the second set of porous posts are arranged in an alternating pattern and not aligned in a vertical direction extending from the condenser to the evaporator.

10. The multi-level wick structures of claim 8 , wherein the first set of porous posts and the second set of porous posts are aligned in a vertical direction extending from the condenser to the evaporator.

11. The multi-level wick structures of claim 8 , wherein the first set of porous posts and the second set of porous posts integrally form continuous posts extending from the condenser side to the evaporator side.

12. The multi-level wick structures of claim 8 , wherein porous posts of the first set of porous posts are spaced apart from vent holes of the plurality of vent holes in a horizontal direction.

13. The multi-level wick structures of claim 8 , wherein the first porous layer has a first porosity and the second porous layer has a second porosity that is different from the first porosity.

14. A vapor chamber heat spreader, comprising:

a condenser arranged at a first end of the vapor chamber heat spreader;

an evaporator arranged at a second end of the vapor chamber heat spreader, wherein the second end is opposite to the first end; and

multi-level wick structures comprising a first liquid flow channel including a plurality of porous condenser posts, a second liquid flow channel including a plurality of porous evaporator posts, and a vapor flow channel including a plurality of vent holes;

wherein the condenser posts and the evaporator posts are cylindrically-shaped;

wherein the first liquid flow channel includes a lateral movement of liquid condensed by the condenser from the condenser to the evaporator, and the second liquid flow channel includes a downward movement of the liquid from the condenser to the evaporator in a hot spot area, where the second liquid flow channel provides a shorter liquid flow path than a liquid flow path provided by the first liquid flow path;

wherein the vapor flow channel includes an upward movement of vapor from the evaporator to the condenser and the vapor flow path does not overlap with the second liquid flow path in the hot spot area;

wherein the vent holes and the condenser posts and the evaporator posts do not overlap such that:

the evaporating posts are spaced apart from each other;

the vent holes are arranged between two neighboring evaporator posts; and

each condenser post is arranged between the two neighboring evaporator posts and between two neighboring vent holes present in the mesh layer.

15. The vapor chamber heat spreader of claim 14 , wherein the hot spot area is arranged in a location where a heat source is present.

16. The vapor chamber heat spreader of claim 14 , wherein the hot spot area is arranged at a plurality of locations throughout the entire length of the vapor chamber heat spreader, each of hot spot having a heat source present therein.

17. The vapor chamber heat spreader of claim 14 , wherein porous condenser posts of the plurality of porous condenser posts are spaced apart from vent holes of the plurality of vent holes in a horizontal direction.