Composite heat sink with metal base and graphite fins

Abstract

A composite heat sink apparatus includes a metal base which has a thermal conductivity of at least about 150 W / m° K. The metal base is preferably constructed either of copper of aluminum. The heat sink apparatus further includes a plurality of fins attached to the base, the fins being constructed of anisotropic graphite material having a direction of relatively high thermal conductivity perpendicular to the base.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending application Ser. No. 10 / 184,841, filed Jun. 28, 2002 and entitled “Composite Heat Sink With Metal Base And Graphite Fins,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The present invention relates to a heat sink capable of managing the heat from a heat source such as an electronic device. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] With the development of more and more sophisticated electronic devices, including those capable of increasing processing speeds and higher frequencies, having smaller size and more complicated power requirements, and exhibiting other technological advances, such as microprocessors and integrated circuits in electronic and electrical components and systems as well as in other devices such as high power optical devices, relatively extreme temperatures can be generated. However, microprocessors, integrated circuits and other sophisticated electro...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0020] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved heat sink design for thermal management of electronic devices.

[0022] And another object of the present invention is the provision of a composite heat sink having a copper base with graphite fins, which provides a thermal performance approximately equal to that of an all copper heat sink while having a weight less than that of the all copper heat sink.

Problems solved by technology

However, microprocessors, integrated circuits and other sophisticated electronic components typically operate efficiently only under a certain range of threshold temperatures.

The excessive heat generated during operation of these components can not only harm their own performance, but can also degrade the performance and reliability of the overall system and can even cause system failure.

The increasingly wide range of environmental conditions, including temperature extremes, in which electronic systems are expected to operate, exacerbates the negative effects of excessive heat.

The use of copper or aluminum heat dissipating elements can present a problem because of the weight of the metal, particularly when the heat transmitting area of the heat dissipating component is significantly larger than that of the electronic device.

If metallic heat sinks are employed, the sheer weight of the metal on the board can increase the chances of the board cracking or of other equally undesirable effects, and increases the weight of the component itself.

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