ADVANCED THERMAL SIMULATIONS
ACT can model complex thermal systems such as heat pipe embedded heat sinks, manifolded pumped liquid loops and thermoelectric cooling systems using traditional finite element analysis (FEA) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques. ACT has custom codes to look at complex systems involving two-phase flows, phase change materials for thermal storage, and systems with chemical reactions. ACT strongly differentiates itself from other thermal competitors, by also providing services using non-traditional/advanced modeling techniques such as ab initio, molecular dynamics, and Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) modeling. Brief details regarding these different modeling techniques are provided below:
Atomic Level (Nanoscale) Modeling
The use of ab initio (or electronic structure calculations) and molecular dynamics simulations can provide accurate predictions of materials’ thermo-mechanical properties without the input of experimental data. The information gained from these simulations is inexpensive compared to performing a long series of experiments under varying conditions. Ab initio modeling, meaning ‘from the beginning’ or ‘from first principle’, performs quantum mechanical calculations without using approximations or assumptions. Ab Initio models produce more accurate results than other modeling techniques but are computationally the most rigorous, reaching a system size limit typically on the order of tens of atoms. Using Molecular Dynamics, the system size can be scaled to millions of atoms, but requires the use of high-fidelity interatomic potentials developed from experimental data or ab initio simulations. Using these simulation techniques, models can be developed to predict the material behavior and develop fundamental understanding of the structure-property relationship.
Chip Level (Microscale) Modeling
A heat generation and transport simulator in submicron semiconductor devices is currently under development at ACT. This simulator addresses the non-equilibrium Joule heating issue in the presence of high electric fields (order of 107 V/m) by concurrently solving the thermal and electrical characteristics (BTE). Different from the prevailing device simulators which have well-developed electrical model but less detailed thermal model, ACT's simulator is a more enhanced thermal model. In conjunction to the electrical model, ACT's simulator solves a complete set of the carrier (electron, optical phonon and acoustic phonon) temperature distribution in the device level. This allows ACT to more accurately estimate the peak junction temperatures present in semiconductor devices. Capturing the accurate thermal response to an applied electric field is important to design an efficient thermal management system for the semiconductor devices.
Custom Thermal Models (Macroscopic)
ACT has experienced experts, capable of developing concise thermal models that capture only the necessary physics required for a particular application. Thermal storage, thermoelectrics, two-phase flows, advanced heat pipes, chemical reactions…ACT can help you write the code to solve your problem.
Simulation of GaN chip transient temperature during pulsed operation
EXPERIENCE. THERMAL. EXPERTS.
