Multi-level microchannel heat exchangers

A heat exchanger comprising:

• a. a manifold layer having a first plurality of openings for providing a cooling material to the heat exchanger and a second plurality of openings for removing the cooling material from the heat exchanger:
• and
• b. an interface layer coupled to the manifold layer, the interface layer having a plurality of vertically stacked routes, each route extending from one of the first plurality of openings and terminating at a corresponding one of the second plurality of openings, each route for carrying the cooling material, a cross-section of the plurality of routes substantially contained in a plane non-parallel to a heat-exchanging plane;
• and
• c. a heat insulator between the first plurality of openings and the second plurality of openings.

A method of forming a heat exchanger comprising:

• a. forming a manifold layer having a first plurality of openings for providing a cooling material to the heat exchanger and a second plurality of openings for removing the cooling material from the heat exchanger;
• b. forming an interface layer coupled to the manifold layer, the interface layer having a plurality of vertically stacked routes that each extends from one of the first plurality of openings and terminates at a corresponding one of the second plurality of openings, each route for carrying the cooling material, a cross-section of the plurality of routes substantially contained in a plane non-parallel to a heat-exchanging plane;
• and
• c. coupling a heat-generating device to a bottom surface of the interface layer.

A method of forming a heat exchanger comprising:

• a. forming a manifold layer having a first plurality of openings for providing a cooling material to the heat exchanger and a second plurality of openings for removing the cooling material from the heat exchanger;
• b. forming an interface layer coupled to the manifold layer, the interface layer having a plurality of vertically stacked routes that each extends from one of the first plurality of openings and terminates at a corresponding one of the second plurality of openings, each route for carrying the cooling material, a cross-section of the plurality of routes substantially contained in a plane non-parallel to a heat-exchanging plane;
• and
• c. forming a heat insulator between the first plurality of openings and the second plurality of openings.