Technical challenges and novel passive cooling technologies for ultra-thin notebooks

Detachable (2-in-1) notebooks are the development trend in the ultra-thin notebook space, combining the advantages of both, a notebook and a tablet. Thinness, low weight, and quietness, along with a fashionable look, are some of the most important competitive factors of an ultra-thin notebook. However, these same factors severely limit its thermal performance, making thermal design of an ultra-thin notebook very challenging. The paper presents various analysis methods for an ultra-thin notebook, and explores, based on Huawei MateBook, novel passive thermal designs and key cooling technologies for a 2-in-1 notebook. The paper also investigates the thermo-physical limits, process boundaries, and costs of the various thermal technologies and provides the requirements and ideas for the passive thermal solutions for the next generation ultra-thin notebooks.