Thermal management issues in cryo-electronics

The maximum drain current of power MOSFETs shows a great improvement under cryogenic temperature operation due to the reduced on-resistance and thermal resistance. However, the thermal management of superconductor/semiconductor hybrid circuits at cryogenic temperatures poses a challenge due to the high levels of heat dissipation at the semiconductor devices when they are operated near their current carrying capacities. In this study, heat dissipation levels of power MOSFETs are examined against their current carrying capacities at low temperatures. It is seen that significant improvement in current carrying capacity can be realized if a high heat flux removal thermal management technique is used. The maximum drain current can be increased significantly when a high heat flux removal technique like spray cooling is used as compared to immersion cooling