Cooling module and method of assembling cooling module to electronic circuit module

Abstract

Example embodiments relate to a cooling module and a method of assembling the cooling module to an electronic circuit module, the circuit assembly having a frame and an electronic circuit module, the electronic circuit module including a first chipset and a second chipset. The cooling module includes a first cooling component and a second cooling component. The first cooling component is connectable to the frame to establish a first thermal interface between the first cooling component and the first chipset. The first cooling component is positioned within a recessed portion of the second cooling component, and each of a pair of second fluid connectors in the second cooling component is movably connected to a corresponding connector in a pair of first fluid connectors in the first cooling component to establish a fluid flow path between the first cooling component and the second cooling component. The second cooling component is connectable to the frame to establish a second thermal interface between the second cooling component and the second chipset.

Description

[0001] Cross-references

[0002] This application is related to a co-pending U.S. application entitled “cooling module and a method of cooling an electronic circuit module using the cooling module” filed on December 3, 2021 (U.S. application serial number XX / XXX,XXX ), which has invention application number "90962525" and is assigned to Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to cooling. Background Art

[0004] An electronic system typically includes one or more circuit assemblies, each of which has at least one electronic circuit module. Typically, the electronic circuit module includes a circuit board and a chipset (e.g., one or more electronic chips) disposed on the circuit board. These electronic chips may generate waste heat during their operation. If the waste heat is not dissipated from the electronic circuit module, the waste heat may exceed the thermal specifications of the electronic chip, thereby causing the performance, reliability, and life expectancy of the electronic circuit module having such an electronic chip to decrease, and in some cases causing the circuit assembly having such an electronic circuit module to fail. In order to minimize such adverse effects of waste heat, the electronic system may include a thermal management system for circulating a fluid (e.g., a cold fluid) to a cooling module of the circuit assembly to draw away waste heat from the electronic chip of the electronic circuit module. Summary of the invention

[0005] In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a cooling module for an electronic circuit module, the cooling module comprising: a first cooling component, the first cooling component comprising a pair of first fluid connectors; and a second cooling component, the second cooling component comprising a recessed portion and a pair of second fluid connectors located in the recessed portion, wherein the first cooling component is capable of being connected to a frame supporting the electronic circuit module to establish a first thermal interface between the first cooling component and a first chip group of the electronic circuit module, wherein the second cooling component is mounted on the frame so that the first cooling component is positioned within the recessed portion, and each connector of the pair of first fluid connectors is movably connected to a corresponding connector of the pair of second fluid connectors to establish a fluid flow path between the first cooling component and the second cooling component, wherein the second cooling component is capable of being connected to the frame to establish a second thermal interface between the second chip group of the electronic circuit module and the second cooling component.

[0006] In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a circuit assembly for an electronic system, the circuit assembly comprising: a frame; an electronic circuit module, the electronic circuit module comprising a first chipset and a second chipset arranged on a circuit board of the electronic circuit module, wherein the electronic circuit module is connected to the frame; and a cooling module, the cooling module comprising: a first cooling component, the first cooling component comprising a pair of first fluid connectors; and a second cooling component, the second cooling component comprising a recessed portion and a pair of second fluid connectors located in the recessed portion, wherein the first cooling component is connected to the frame to establish a first thermal interface between the first cooling component and the first chipset, wherein the second cooling component is mounted on the frame so that the first cooling component is positioned within the recessed portion, and each connector of the pair of first fluid connectors is movably connected to a corresponding connector of the pair of second fluid connectors to establish a fluid flow path between the first cooling component and the second cooling component, and wherein the second cooling component is connected to the frame to establish a second thermal interface between the second cooling component and the second chipset.

[0007] In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for assembling a cooling module to an electronic circuit module of a circuit assembly, the method comprising: coupling the electronic circuit module to a frame of the circuit assembly, wherein the electronic circuit module comprises a circuit board, and a first chipset and a second chipset disposed on the circuit board; connecting a first cooling component of the cooling module to the frame to establish a first thermal interface between the first cooling component and the first chipset; positioning a second cooling component of the cooling module over the first cooling component to align a plurality of holes of the second cooling component to a plurality of retaining tabs of the first cooling component; mounting the second cooling component on the frame so that the first cooling component is positioned within a recessed portion of the second cooling component, each retaining tab of the plurality of retaining tabs protrudes along a corresponding hole of the plurality of holes, and each connector of a pair of first fluid connectors in the first cooling component is movably connected to a corresponding connector of a pair of second fluid connectors in the second cooling component to establish a fluid flow path between the first cooling component and the second cooling component; and connecting the second cooling component to the frame to establish a second thermal interface between the second cooling component and the second chipset. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Various examples will be described below with reference to the following drawings.

[0009] Figure 1A An exploded perspective view of a circuit assembly according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0010] Figure 1B The present invention illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1A An assembled perspective view of a circuit component.

[0011] Figure 1C A cross-sectional view of a first connector of a pair of first fluid connectors having an O-ring according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated, the first connector being movably connected to Figure 1A-1B The other first connector of a pair of second fluid connectors.

[0012] Figure 1D A cross-sectional view of a first connector of a pair of first fluid connectors having an O-ring according to another example embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated, the first connector being movably connected to Figure 1A-1B The other first connector of a pair of second fluid connectors.

[0013] Figure 2A The present invention illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1A-1B An exploded perspective view of a frame of a circuit assembly.

[0014] Figure 2B The present invention illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1A-1B A perspective view of an electronic circuit module with circuit components.

[0015] Figure 2C An electronic circuit assembly according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated along Figure 2B A cross-sectional view taken along line 1-1'.

[0016] Figure 2D The present invention illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1A-1B An exploded perspective top view of a cooling module of a circuit assembly.

[0017] Figure 2E The present invention illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1A-1B An exploded perspective bottom view of a cooling module of a circuit assembly.

[0018] Figure 2F The present invention illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1A-1B A perspective view of a spring loaded fastener of a cooling module in a circuit assembly.

[0019] Figure 2G The present invention illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1A-1B A perspective view of a captive fastener of a cooling module in a circuit assembly of FIG.

[0020] Figure 3 The present invention illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1A-1B and Figure 2G A perspective view of a portion of a first cooling component and a captive fastener.

[0021] Figure 4 A flow chart depicting a method of assembling a cooling module according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0022] Figure 5A FIG. 1 illustrates a circuit assembly according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1B A cross-sectional top view taken along line 2-2'.

[0023] Figure 5B The present invention illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1A-1B A cross-sectional top view of a cooling module having a first cooling component and a second cooling component.

[0024] Figure 6 A flow chart depicting a method of drawing heat away from an electronic circuit module by a cooling module according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0025] Figure 7A cross-sectional view of another first connector of a pair of second fluid connectors according to another example embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated, the other first connector being movably connected to a first connector of a pair of first fluid connectors. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Where possible, the same reference numerals are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar parts. However, it will be clearly understood that the drawings are for illustration and description purposes only. Although several examples are described in this document, modifications, adaptations and other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the following detailed description does not limit the disclosed examples. On the contrary, the proper scope of the disclosed examples may be defined by the appended claims.

[0027] The terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing the example embodiments and are not intended to be restrictive. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "one", "a kind of" and "the" as used herein are intended to also include plural forms. The term "multiple" as used herein is defined as two or more. The term "another" as used herein is defined as at least the second or more. Unless otherwise indicated, the term "connected" as used herein is defined as connected, whether directly connected without any intervening element or indirectly connected by means of at least one intervening element. Two elements can be mechanically connected, electrically connected or communicated through a communication channel, path, network or system. The term "and / or" as used herein refers to and covers any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated enumerated items. It will also be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. can be used to describe various elements in this article, these elements should not be limited by these terms because unless otherwise stated or the context indicates otherwise, these terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. As used herein, the term "includes" means including but not limited to, and the term "including" means including but not limited to. The term "based on" means based at least in part on.

[0028] As used herein, the term "fluid connector" may refer to a type of mechanical connector that is movably connected to another mechanical connector so as to fluidically connect at least two fluid chambers to each other. As used herein, the term "movably connected" or "movably connected" may refer to a non-rigid fluid connection formed between two fluid connectors, wherein one of these fluid connectors can be moved in 3 dimensions relative to the other fluid connector while maintaining a leak-proof fluid flow path therebetween. As used herein, the term "tool-free" design may refer to a type of design incorporated in a fluid connector that enables these fluid connectors to be movably connected to each other without any tools. As used herein, the term "cooling component" may refer to a type of heat-conducting component that includes an internal channel (or microchannel) through which a cold fluid is guided to absorb waste heat transferred to a cooling component by a waste heat generating component (e.g., one or more electronic chipsets disposed on a circuit board). For example, a cooling component may also be referred to as a cold plate. The term "fluid" may refer to a liquid medium or a gaseous medium of a coolant or a combination thereof. Further, the term "insertion" may refer to connecting fluid connectors (e.g., fluid apertures or fluid pistons) to each other by pushing or inserting one of the fluid apertures or fluid pistons into the other of the fluid apertures or fluid pistons. Similarly, the term "extraction" may refer to disconnecting fluid connectors from each other by pulling or removing one of the fluid apertures or fluid pistons from the other of the fluid apertures or fluid pistons. Further, as used herein, the term "thermal interface" may refer to the surfaces of two components that are in direct contact with each other or indirectly contacted with each other through a thermal interface material (TIM) to facilitate the transfer of waste heat from one component to another. As used herein, the term "height" may refer to the height of an electronic chip from the bottom surface of an electronic chip to the top surface or from the bottom surface of a circuit board to the top surface of an electronic chip. As used herein, the term "flatness" may refer to the coplanarity of a flat surface (or horizontal surface or uniform surface) of an electronic chip or between two electronic chips (e.g., between top surfaces), thereby minimizing raised areas or indentations. For example, when the electronic chip has a uniform height, it may have a flat top surface.

[0029] It may be noted herein that an object, device, or assembly (which may include multiple different bodies thermally coupled, and may include multiple different materials) is "thermally conductive" between two thermal interfaces if any of the following is true: (i) the heat transfer coefficient between the thermal interfaces is greater than 5 W / m at any temperature between 0°C and 100°C; 2K, (ii) the object comprises a material having a thermal conductivity (often denoted as k, λ or k) between two interfaces between 1 W / mK and 300 W / mK at any temperature between 0° C. and 100° C., or (iii) the object is a heat pipe, a vapor chamber, a copper body or an aluminum body. For example, examples of materials having a thermal conductivity between 1 W / mK and 300 W / mK at any temperature between 0° C. and 100° C. include certain types of copper, aluminum, silver and gold.

[0030] For purposes of explanation, certain examples are described with reference to the components illustrated in FIGS. 1-6 . However, the functionality of the illustrated components may overlap and may exist in a fewer or greater number of elements and components. Furthermore, the disclosed examples may be implemented in a variety of environments and are not limited to the illustrated examples. Further, in conjunction with Figure 4 and Figure 6 The described sequence of operations is an example and is not intended to be limiting. Additional or fewer operations or combinations of operations may be used or may be changed without departing from the scope of the disclosed examples. Therefore, the present disclosure only sets forth possible examples of implementations, and many changes and modifications may be made to the described examples. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure and are protected by the following claims.

[0031] An electronic system (including but not limited to a computer, a server system, a storage system, a wireless access point, a network switch, a router, a docking station, a printer or a scanner) includes a circuit assembly, each of which has one or more electronic circuit modules. The electronic circuit module includes a plurality of chipsets disposed on a circuit board (such as a printed circuit board). Each chipset may include one or more electronic chips (or electronic components or integrated circuit chips). Examples of electronic chips may include but are not limited to a central processing unit (CPU) chip, a graphics processing unit (GPU) chip, a power chip, a memory chip or an electronic element (such as a capacitor, an inductor, a resistor, etc.). During operation of the circuit assembly, the electronic chip of the electronic circuit module may generate waste heat (or heat). As will be understood, such waste heat is undesirable and may have an impact on the operation of the electronic circuit module. For example, waste heat may cause physical damage to the electronic chip, reduce the performance, reliability or life expectancy of the electronic circuit module having such an electronic chip, and in some cases, waste heat may even cause failure of the circuit assembly.

[0032] In order to minimize the adverse effects of waste heat, some electronic systems include a thermal management system to absorb (or remove) waste heat from the electronic chip. In some embodiments, the thermal management system includes a cooling module that requires the use of a cooling component (e.g., at least one of a heat sink or a cold plate) to remove waste heat from the electronic chip. For example, the cooling component is configured to contact (e.g., directly physically contact) the electronic chip disposed on the circuit board to establish a thermal interface between the cooling component and the electronic chip. Therefore, such a cooling component absorbs waste heat generated by the electronic chip and transfers the absorbed waste heat away from the electronic chip.

[0033] In some designs of electronic circuit modules, the electronic chip may have a variable height, resulting in an uneven topology or uneven topology of the top surface of the electronic chip. Therefore, in such embodiments, the electronic chip disposed on the circuit board may have different heights from the circuit board. Therefore, the top surface of the electronic chip may be positioned at different heights. In some other embodiments, even if the electronic chip disposed on the circuit board may have the same height, the top surface of the electronic chip may also be positioned at different heights to establish a thermal interface therebetween due to one or more of the changes in the pressure applied by the cooling component on the electronic chip due to welding defects and cooling components. In some other designs of electronic circuit modules, some electronic chips may have a variable flatness (i.e., an uneven surface or an uneven surface) due to design tolerances along their top surfaces, resulting in uneven topology or uneven topology of the top surface of the electronic chip. Therefore, in such embodiments, the electronic chip disposed on the circuit board may have an uneven topology.

[0034] Therefore, when a common cooling component (i.e., a single cooling component) is used in an electronic circuit module having such an uneven topology among the top surfaces of the electronic chips disposed thereon, the common cooling component cannot be arranged to be in consistent contact with the top surfaces of all electronic chips to establish a consistent thermal interface therebetween. For example, such a common cooling component cannot be in contact with an electronic chip having a lower height. Similarly, even when a common cooling component having a varying height (e.g., complementary to the height of the electronic chip having a varying height) is used in an electronic circuit module having an electronic chip having a varying height, the common cooling component cannot be arranged to be in contact with the top surface of the electronic chip to establish a thermal interface therebetween. For example, such a common cooling component cannot be in consistent contact with an electronic chip having an uneven topology.

[0035] Therefore, any variation in at least one of the height or flatness among the electronic chips in the module may result in low cooling efficiency and, therefore, chip temperature variation across the electronic circuit module. In other words, the common cooling component may not be able to effectively cool the electronic chip having at least one of the height or flatness variation. Further, any incorrect installation of the common cooling component on the electronic chip having at least one of the height or flatness variation may result in damage to some of the electronic chips. For example, the common cooling component may not be able to apply uniform pressure on all electronic chips to establish a thermal interface therebetween, thus causing damage (such as cracking) to some of the electronic chips.

[0036] One way the electronics industry has attempted to address the above-mentioned issues with common cooling components is by using discrete (or separate) cooling components for each electronic chip rather than using common cooling components for all electronic chips. However, cooling modules with such discrete cooling components may increase the complexity of factory installation as well as field and factory serviceability challenges. For example, a circuit assembly may require extensive modifications to the piping system to include a discrete cooling component (e.g., a separate cold plate) for each electronic chip. In some embodiments, the modifications may include: i) introducing and leading multiple flow lines into and out of each cooling component, and ii) implementing a discrete fluid inlet connector and a discrete fluid outlet connector for each cooling component. Additionally, during a service or installation event, a technician may need to follow a complex process to complete the connection (or disconnection) of the discrete fluid inlet and outlet of each cooling component to the corresponding flow lines in the multiple flow lines.

[0037] Further, in some embodiments, the cooling module may further require the use of gap pads in conjunction with the cooling components to address the problem of electronic chips having at least one of varying heights or flatnesses. For example, a gap pad may be disposed between the electronic chip and the corresponding cooling component to bridge at least one of the height difference or flatness difference between the electronic chip and the corresponding cooling component. However, the gap pad may have a low thermal conductivity, resulting in inefficient cooling of the electronic chip. Therefore, the electronic chip that is still heated up (e.g., not properly cooled) may cause waste heat to be conducted via the substrate of the circuit board. Such conduction of waste heat via the substrate of the circuit board may cause one or more of the remaining electronic components of the electronic module to heat up, for example, die-to-die heating of the remaining electronic chips.

[0038] According to various aspects of the present disclosure, an improved cooling module is provided for an electronic circuit module of a circuit assembly, which alleviates one or more challenges mentioned above. For example, the improved cooling module includes a first cooling component and a second cooling component, wherein the first cooling component is positioned in a recessed portion of the second cooling component to fluidly connect the first cooling component and the second cooling component to each other. In some examples, the first cooling component is mounted on a frame supporting the electronic circuit module of the circuit assembly to establish a first thermal interface with a first electronic chipset of the electronic circuit module. Similarly, the second cooling component is mounted on the frame of the circuit assembly to fluidly connect with the first cooling component and establish a second thermal interface with the second electronic chipset of the electronic circuit module. In such examples, when the second cooling component is mounted to the frame, the second cooling component can be independently moved in 3 dimensions (e.g., floating) relative to the first cooling component to accommodate (accommodate) at least one of the height or flatness changes between the first electronic chipset and the second electronic chipset. In some examples, the second cooling component can be tilted relative to the first cooling component to align with the surface of the first cooling component to accommodate the change in flatness between the first electronic chipset and the second electronic chipset. In certain other examples, the second cooling member can be moved up and down relative to the first cooling member to accommodate a change in height between the first electronic chipset and the second electronic chipset. In one or more examples, the second cooling member can be tilted relative to the first cooling member to accommodate a change in flatness between the first electronic chipset and the second electronic chipset, moved up and down relative to the first cooling member to accommodate a change in height between the first electronic chipset and the second electronic chipset, or a combination of both.

[0039] In some examples, the cooling module may include a plurality of first spring-loaded fasteners and a plurality of second spring-loaded fasteners to connect the first cooling component and the second cooling component to the frame, respectively. In such examples, each spring in the plurality of first spring-loaded fasteners may individually bias the first cooling component to move toward the first electronic chipset to substantially establish a first thermal interface with the first electronic chipset. Similarly, each spring in the plurality of second spring-loaded fasteners may individually bias the second cooling component to move toward the second electronic chipset to substantially establish a second thermal interface with the second electronic chipset.

[0040] In some examples, the first cooling component includes a pair of first fluid connectors, and the second cooling component includes a pair of second fluid connectors. In such examples, each connector in the pair of first fluid connectors is movably connected to a corresponding connector in the pair of second fluid connectors to establish a fluid flow path between the first cooling component and the second cooling component. In some examples, each connector in the pair of first fluid connectors is one of a fluid piston or a fluid aperture, and each connector in the pair of second fluid connectors is the other of a fluid piston or a fluid aperture. In such examples, the cooling module further includes an O-ring seal disposed in an outer circumferential groove of the fluid piston. In one or more examples, when the fluid piston is movably connected to the fluid aperture to establish a fluid flow path between the first cooling component and the second cooling component, the O-ring seal may contact the wall of the fluid aperture (i.e., be compressed against the wall) to prevent the fluid (cold fluid or hot fluid) from leaking from the fluid flow path. In some examples, the O-ring seal (in a compressed state against the wall) can slide along the wall (inner wall) of the fluid aperture by the up and down movement of the second cooling component relative to the first cooling component. In some other examples, the O-ring seal is eccentrically compressed against the wall (inner wall) of the fluid aperture by tilting movement of the second cooling member relative to the first cooling member. In other words, when the second cooling member is tilted to accommodate the change in flatness between the first electronic chipset and the second electronic chipset, the O-ring seal can be eccentrically compressed by displacement of the second cooling member relative to the second electronic chipset. In one or more examples, the O-ring seal slides along the wall of the fluid aperture by up and down movement of the second cooling member relative to the first cooling member, is eccentrically compressed against the wall of the fluid aperture by tilting movement of the second cooling member relative to the first cooling member, or a combination of both.

[0041] Since one cooling component moves independently (e.g., floats) relative to the other cooling component, the cooling module can establish a sufficient thermal interface between the cooling component and the electronic chipset to achieve efficient heat transfer from the electronic chipset to the cooling component, regardless of changes in height and flatness between the electronic chipsets. Further, since each of the pair of first fluid connectors or the pair of second fluid connectors has an O-ring seal, one cooling component can be allowed to move independently relative to the other cooling component. In other words, the O-ring seal can allow one cooling component to move in 3 dimensions relative to the other cooling component to accommodate changes in at least one of the height or flatness between the first electronic chipset and the second electronic chipset.

[0042] Therefore, the present disclosure describes an example embodiment of a cooling module for an electronic circuit module of a circuit assembly and a method for mounting the cooling module to the electronic circuit module. The cooling module includes a first cooling component and a second cooling component. The first cooling component includes a pair of first fluid connectors, and the second cooling component includes a recessed portion and a pair of second fluid connectors. The first cooling component can be connected to a frame supporting the electronic circuit module of the circuit assembly to establish a first thermal interface between the first cooling component and the first chipset of the electronic circuit module. The second cooling component is mounted on the frame so that the first cooling component is positioned in the recessed portion, and each connector in the pair of second fluid connectors is movably connected to a corresponding connector in the pair of first fluid connectors to establish a fluid flow path between the first cooling component and the second cooling component. Further, the second cooling component can be connected to the frame to establish a second thermal interface between the second cooling component and the second chipset.

[0043] Turning to the attached figure, Figure 1A An exploded perspective view of circuit assembly 100 is depicted. Figure 1B Depicted Figure 1A 1 is an assembled perspective view of the circuit assembly 100. Figure 1C A cross-sectional view of one connector 148A of a pair of first fluid connectors 148 having an O-ring seal 182, the one connector being movably connected to the Figure 1A-1B The other first connector 164A of the pair of second fluid connectors 164 . Figure 1D A cross-sectional view of one connector 148A of the pair of first fluid connectors 148 having an O-ring seal 182, the one connector being movably connected to the Figure 1A-1B The other first connector 164A of the pair of second fluid connectors 164. In the following description, for the convenience of illustration, the accompanying drawings are described at the same time. Figures 1A-1D and Figure 2A-2G .

[0044] The circuit assembly 100 can be used as an electronic packaging unit that is configured to provide mechanical protection to the electronic circuit module 104, dissipate waste heat from the electronic circuit module 104, and distribute electrical energy to operate the electronic circuit module 104 to perform at least one workload. In some examples, the circuit assembly 100 includes a frame 102, an electronic circuit module 104, and a cooling module 106. In one or more examples, the circuit assembly 100 can be disposed within an electronic system such as, but not limited to, a server system, a storage system, an access point, a network switch, a router, a docking station, a printer, or a scanner to perform the at least one workload. In some examples, the circuit assembly 100 is a computing node of an electronic system such as a server system. In such examples, multiple computing nodes can be disposed within a chassis of a server system, and multiple such server systems can be deployed in a housing or rack or tray of a data center environment (not shown) to perform multiple workloads. As discussed herein, the circuit assembly 100 includes an electronic circuit module 104 coupled to a frame 102 and a cooling module 106 assembled to the electronic circuit module 104 and connected to the frame 102 .

[0045] refer to Figure 1A-1B , the frame 102 can serve as a reinforcement and heat transfer plate for the circuit assembly 100. In some examples, the frame 102 includes a base portion 102A and a cover portion 102B. Figure 2A In particular, an exploded perspective view of the frame 102 is depicted. In some examples, the base portion 102A is an open box-shaped component. In such examples, the base portion 102A has a circuit board 128 (e.g., Figure 1A 102B). The bottom plate section 112A of the base portion 102A includes a plurality of first clamping holes 114A. Further, the base portion 102A may include a plurality of retainer holes (not shown) formed in the bottom plate section 112A. In such examples, the plurality of retainer holes may be used to clamp the frame 102 to the electronic system. In some examples, the cover portion 102B is another open box-shaped element. In such examples, the cover portion 102B has an opening 110 formed in the lid section 112B of the cover portion 102B. For example, the opening 110 may be formed substantially at the center portion of the lid section 112B. Additionally, the lid section 112B includes a plurality of first holes 118A, a plurality of second holes 118B, and a plurality of second clamping holes 114B. In some examples, each hole in the plurality of second clamping holes 114B is aligned to a corresponding hole in the plurality of first clamping holes 114A in the base portion 102A. In one or more examples, the cover portion 102B can be mounted on and coupled to the base portion 102A to form the frame 102 .

[0046] refer to Figure 1A-1B , electronic circuit module 104 can be used as a multi-chip module of circuit assembly 100. In some examples, electronic circuit module 104 includes a first chipset 124 (or a first electronic chipset), a second chipset 126 (or a second electronic chipset), and a circuit board 128. Figure 2B A perspective view of the electronic circuit module 104 is particularly depicted. In some examples, the circuit board 128 can be a printed circuit board (PCB) that includes a number of conductive traces (not shown) to electrically interconnect the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126, respectively. In some examples, the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126 are respectively positioned adjacent to each other and are disposed on and coupled to the circuit board 128. For example, the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126 can be coupled to the circuit board 128 via solder joints. In some examples, the first electronic chipset 124 includes a first electronic chip 124A. Similarly, the second electronic chipset 126 includes a plurality of second electronic chips 126A and a third electronic chip 126B. It may be noted herein that the first electronic chip 124A, the plurality of second electronic chips 126A, and the third electronic chip 126B may be collectively referred to as electronic chips 125 (e.g., Figure 2B ). Examples of electronic chips 125 may include, but are not limited to, central processing unit (CPU) chips, graphics processing unit (GPU) chips, power chips, memory chips, or other electronic components (such as capacitors, inductors, resistors, etc.). In the illustrated example, the first electronic chip 124A is a processor (CPU) chip, each of the plurality of second electronic chips 126A is a memory chip, and the third electronic chip 126B is a graphics (GPU) chip. Figure 2B In the example of FIG. 1 , the plurality of second electronic chips 126A are arranged along a first row 127A and a second row 127B positioned around a third electronic chip 126B. It is to be noted that, without limiting the scope of the present disclosure, the electronic circuit module 104 may include various combinations of different types of electronic chips 125. Further, although the electronic circuit module 104 is shown as including three types of electronic chips 125 arranged in a particular manner, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited with respect to the number or type of electronic chips 125 and the manner in which the electronic chips 125 are laid out on the circuit board 128. The circuit board 128 additionally includes a plurality of third clamping holes 114C, each of which is aligned to a corresponding hole in the plurality of first clamping holes 114A and the plurality of second clamping holes 114B of the frame 102, respectively.

[0047] Figure 2C In particular, the electronic circuit module 104 is depicted along Figure 2BA cross-sectional view taken along line 1-1' in . The first electronic chipset 124 (e.g., the first electronic chip 124A) may have a varying flatness "F1" along its top surface 130. In some examples, the varying flatness "F1" may be approximately -5 degrees. Further, the first electronic chipset 124 may have a first height "H1" from the top surface 132 of the circuit board 128. Similarly, the second electronic chipset 126 (e.g., the plurality of second electronic chips 126A and / or the third electronic chip 126B) may have a flat flatness "F2" along its top surface 134. For example, the flat flatness "F2" is approximately 0 degrees. Further, the second electronic chipset 126 may have a second height "H2" from the top surface 132 of the circuit board 128. Figure 2C , the second height "H2" is greater than the first height "H1". Therefore, in the illustrated example, the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126 have varying heights and flatnesses, respectively. In one or more examples, the top surface 130 of the first electronic chipset 124 is the first thermal interface surface 130A of the electronic circuit module 104, and the top surface 134 of the second electronic chipset 126 is the second thermal interface surface 134A of the electronic circuit module 104.

[0048] refer to Figure 1A-1B , the cooling module 106 is used as a fluid cooling module for the circuit assembly 100, which requires the use of a cold fluid 198A (or fluid, such as Figure 5A-5B ) to remove waste heat from the electronic chip 125 of the electronic circuit module 104 and generate a thermal fluid 198C (as shown in Figure 5A-5B). Examples of the cold fluid 198A include, but are not limited to, a cold liquid coolant, a cold gaseous coolant, or a combination thereof. For example, the cold liquid coolant may have approximately 25% propylene glycol and 75% water. In some examples, the temperature of the cold fluid 198A may be approximately 36 degrees (which is referred to as the supply temperature or secondary temperature), the temperature of the hot fluid 198C may be approximately 60 degrees (which is referred to as the return temperature or tertiary temperature, and the temperature of the facility fluid (not shown) may be approximately 32 degrees (which is referred to as the facility temperature or primary temperature). As used herein, the term "supply temperature" may refer to the temperature of the cold fluid 198A delivered from a coolant distribution unit (CDU, not shown) to the cooling modules 106 of each circuit assembly 100. Similarly, the term "return temperature" may refer to the hot fluid 198C discharged from the cooling modules 106 of each circuit assembly 100 to the CDU. Further, the term "facility temperature" may refer to the temperature of a facility fluid that is directed from the data center environment to the CDU for use in cooling the hot fluid 198C received from the cooling module 106. In one or more examples, the CDU may include at least one heat exchanger system to enable waste heat to be transferred from the hot fluid 198C to the facility fluid in order to regenerate the cold fluid 198A. In one or more examples, the supply temperature of the cold fluid 198A may be a combination of the facility temperature of the facility fluid and the approach temperature of the heat exchanger in the CDU. In some examples, the approach temperature may be a temperature rise of the cold fluid 198A or a temperature difference between the cold fluid 198A and the facility fluid.

[0049] In some examples, the cooling module 106 includes a first cooling component 136 and a second cooling component 138. In some examples, each of the first cooling component 136 and the second cooling component 138 is a heat conductive component, such as a cold plate. In such examples, each of the first cooling component 136 and the second cooling component 138 has an internal channel or fluid channel (such as a microchannel) ( Figure 1A-1B ) to guide (or direct) the cold fluid 198A to absorb the waste heat and generate the hot fluid 198C.

[0050] Figure 2D depicts an exploded top view of cooling module 106, and Figure 2EAn exploded bottom view of the cooling module 106 is depicted. In one or more examples, the first cooling component 136 includes a pair of first flange portions 140, a first cooling portion 142 located between the pair of first flange portions 140, and a pair of first fluid connectors 148. In some examples, the first cooling component 136 has a top surface 144 and a bottom surface 146. In these examples, the first cooling portion 142 is formed at the bottom surface 146. For example, the first cooling portion 142 protrudes outward from the bottom surface 146 of the first cooling component 136. In one or more examples, the bottom surface of the first cooling portion 142 serves as a first thermal docking surface 142A of the cooling module 106. In some examples, the height of the first cooling portion 142 is substantially greater than the height of each flange in the pair of first flange portions 140. Further, each flange in the pair of first flange portions 140 has an equal height.

[0051] In some examples, the pair of first fluid connectors 148 are formed at the top surface 144 of the first cooling member 136. For example, the pair of first fluid connectors 148 protrude outward from the top surface 144. The pair of first fluid connectors 148 include a first connector 148A in the pair of first fluid connectors 148, and a second connector 148B in the pair of first fluid connectors 148. In one or more examples, the pair of first fluid connectors 148 are fluidly connected to the intermediate fluid channel 194 (see FIG. 1 ) formed in the first cooling portion 142 of the first cooling member 136. Figure 5A-5B For example, the first connector 148A may be connected to an end portion 184 of the intermediate fluid passage 194 (eg, Figure 1C ), and the second connector 148B can be connected to the other end (not shown) of the intermediate fluid channel 194. In some examples, the pair of first fluid connectors 148 can be one of a fluid piston or a fluid aperture. Figure 2D-2E In the example of , each connector in the pair of first fluid connectors 148 is a fluid piston. It may be noted herein that the fluid piston is discussed in more detail in the examples of 1C-1D.

[0052] The first cooling member 136 further includes a plurality of third holes 118C. For example, each flange of the pair of first flange portions 140 may include a pair of third holes among the plurality of third holes 118C. In one or more examples, each of the plurality of third holes 118C is aligned with a corresponding first hole in the plurality of first holes 118A formed in the cover portion 102B of the frame 102. The first cooling member 136 further includes a plurality of retaining tabs 150, which are spaced apart from each other and formed on the top surface 144 of the first cooling member 136. For example, each of the plurality of retaining tabs 150 extends outward from the top surface 144 of the first cooling member 136.

[0053] In one or more examples, the second cooling component 138 includes a pair of second flange portions 152, a recessed portion 154 located between the pair of second flange portions 152, and a pair of second fluid connectors 164. In some examples, the second cooling component 138 has a top surface 156 and a bottom surface 158. The second cooling component 138 further includes a second cooling portion 160 and a third cooling portion 162. In some examples, the second cooling portion 160 is formed at the bottom surface 158, corresponding to a portion of the first flange 152A in the pair of second flange portions 152. In such examples, the second cooling portion 160 protrudes outward from the bottom surface 158 of the second cooling component 138. In one or more examples, the bottom surface of the second cooling portion 160 serves as a second thermal docking surface 160A of the cooling module 106. In some examples, the height of the second cooling portion 160 is substantially greater than the height of each flange in the pair of second flange portions 152. Further, each flange in the pair of second flange portions 152 has an equal height. The third cooling portion 162 is formed on the top surface 156 of the second cooling member 138. For example, the third cooling portion 162 protrudes outward from the top surface 156 and extends between the pair of second flange portions 152 and the recessed portion 154. In some examples, the height of the third cooling portion 162 is substantially greater than the height of each flange in the pair of second flange portions 152. The second cooling member 138 further includes a fluid inlet 166 and a fluid outlet 168, which are spaced apart from each other and formed in the first peripheral wall 162A of the third cooling portion 162.

[0054] In one or more examples, the pair of second fluid connectors 164 are formed at the bottom surface 158. For example, the pair of second fluid connectors 164 are located at the recessed portion 154, wherein each connector of the pair of second fluid connectors 164 protrudes inward from the recessed portion 154 toward the third cooling portion 162. In some examples, the pair of second fluid connectors 164 include another first connector 164A and another second connector 164B. In one or more examples, the other first connector 164A can be connected to the second cooling portion 160 and the third cooling portion 162 of the second cooling member 138 via a first fluid channel 192 (such as Figure 5A-5B ) is fluidly connected to the fluid inlet 166. Similarly, another second connector 164B can be connected to the fluid inlet 166 via a second fluid channel 196 (as shown in FIG. Figure 5A-5B ) is fluidly connected to the fluid outlet 168. In one or more examples, another first connector 164A of the second cooling component 138 is aligned with the first connector 148A of the first cooling component 136. Similarly, another second connector 164B of the second cooling component 138 is aligned with the second connector 148B of the first cooling component 136. In some examples, the pair of second fluid connectors 164 can be the other of a fluid piston or a fluid aperture. Figure 2D-2E In the example of 1C-1D, each connector in the pair of second fluid connectors 164 is a fluid aperture. Note that fluid apertures are discussed in more detail in the examples of 1C-1D.

[0055] The second cooling member 138 further includes a plurality of fourth holes 118D formed in the first flange 152A of the pair of second flange portions 152. In one or more examples, each of the plurality of fourth holes 118D is aligned with a corresponding second hole of the plurality of second holes 118B formed in the cover portion 102B of the frame 102. Further, a diameter of each of the plurality of fourth holes 118D is substantially equal to a diameter of each of the plurality of second holes 118B.

[0056] In some examples, the second cooling member 138 further includes a plurality of fifth holes 118E formed in the recessed portion 154. In one or more examples, each fifth hole in the pair of fifth holes 118E is aligned to a corresponding third hole in the plurality of third holes 118C formed in the first cooling member 136. Further, the diameter of each fifth hole in the plurality of fifth holes 118E is substantially greater than: i) the diameter of each third hole in the plurality of third holes 118C formed in the first cooling member 136, and ii) the diameter of each first hole in the plurality of first holes 118A formed in the cover portion 102B of the frame 102. Similarly, the diameter of each third hole in the plurality of third holes 118C is substantially equal to the diameter of each first hole in the plurality of first holes 118A. Additionally, the second cooling member 138 includes a plurality of fourth clamping holes 114D. Each hole in the plurality of fourth clamping holes 114D is aligned to a corresponding hole in the plurality of second clamping holes 114B formed in the cover portion 102B of the frame 102. Further, the diameter of each hole in the plurality of fourth clamping holes 114D is substantially greater than the diameter of each corresponding hole in the plurality of first clamping holes 114A, the plurality of second clamping holes 114B, and the plurality of third clamping holes 114C. Further, each hole in the plurality of first clamping holes 114A, the plurality of second clamping holes 114B, and the plurality of third clamping holes 114C has an equal diameter, respectively.

[0057] The second cooling component 138 additionally includes a plurality of retaining holes 170 (or a plurality of retaining apertures) that are spaced apart from one another and formed on the third cooling portion 162 of the second cooling component 138. For example, each of the plurality of retaining holes 170 is located in the recessed portion 154 and extends along the third cooling portion 162. Each of the plurality of retaining holes 170 is aligned to a corresponding retaining tab of the plurality of retaining tabs 150 formed in the first cooling component 136. In some examples, the diameter of each of the plurality of retaining holes 170 is substantially equal to the diameter / width of the corresponding retaining tab of the plurality of retaining tabs 150.

[0058] The second cooling member 138 further includes a plurality of tie-down fastener holes 172 (or a plurality of tie-down fastener apertures) formed in the peripheral wall of the third cooling portion 162. For example, a pair of tie-down fastener holes 172A are formed in the first peripheral wall 162A of the third cooling portion 162, and another pair of tie-down fastener holes (not shown) are formed in the second peripheral wall 162B of the third cooling portion 162. In some examples, each of the plurality of tie-down fastener holes 172 may extend upward to a corresponding retaining hole in the plurality of retaining holes 170. Even if Figure 1A-1BNot shown in the figure, it can also be noted herein that each of the captive fastener holes 172 is a stepped hole (or aperture). In one or more examples, each of the captive fasteners 178 (such as Figure 2E ) can be freely retained in the retaining fastener hole (stepped hole) without causing the corresponding retaining fastener 178 to be lost from the second cooling component 138, and at the same time, the stepped hole allows the corresponding retaining fastener 178 to be selectively fastened to engage (or disengage) with the corresponding retaining protrusion 150, thereby respectively connecting (or separating) the first cooling component 136 and the second cooling component 138 to each other.

[0059] refer to Figure 1A-1B , the example cooling module 106 further includes a plurality of first spring-loaded fasteners 174 and a plurality of second spring-loaded fasteners 176. In one or more examples, each of the plurality of first spring-loaded fasteners 174 can be inserted through a corresponding hole in the plurality of third holes 118C and the plurality of first holes 118A, respectively, to connect the first cooling component 136 to the frame 102. Similarly, each of the plurality of second spring-loaded fasteners 176 can be inserted through the plurality of fourth holes 118D and the plurality of second holes 118B, respectively, to connect the second cooling component 138 to the frame 102. For example, referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 2F One spring loaded fastener among the plurality of first spring loaded fasteners 174 is depicted. It may be noted herein that the first spring loaded fastener 174 and the second spring loaded fastener 176 are substantially similar. Referring to the drawings (particularly Figure 2F ), the first spring-loaded fastener 174 includes a shoulder screw 174A and a spring 174B. The shoulder screw 174A includes a head portion 174A1, a shank portion 174A2, and a threaded portion 174A3. In such examples, the diameter of the head portion 174A1 is greater than the diameters of the shank portion 174A2 and the threaded portion 174A3. Further, the diameter of the shank portion 174A2 is greater than the diameter of the threaded portion 174A3. The spring 174B is a helical compression spring mounted to the shank portion 174A2. In one or more examples, the threaded portion 174A3 of the first spring-loaded fastener 174 can be fastened into the first hole 118A of the cover portion 102B of the frame 102 to connect the first cooling member 136 to the frame 102. In such examples, the spring 174B may be compressed by such tightening of the threaded portion 174A3 into the first hole 118A, thereby causing the spring 174B to bias the first cooling member 136 to move toward the first electronic chipset 124 to establish a thermal interface therewith.

[0060] Thus, in one or more examples, each spring 174B of the plurality of first spring-loaded fasteners 174 can individually bias the first cooling member 136 to move toward the first electronic chipset 124 to establish a first thermal interface with the first electronic chipset 124. Similarly, each spring of the plurality of second spring-loaded fasteners 176 can individually bias the second cooling member 138 to move toward the second electronic chipset 126 to establish a second thermal interface with the second electronic chipset 126.

[0061] refer to Figure 1A , Figure 2E and Figure 2G , the cooling module 106 further includes a plurality of captive fasteners 178. In some examples, each captive fastener 178 is a special type of screw that can be freely retained in an opening of an object (e.g., a captive fastener hole 172) without being lost from the captive fastener hole 172, and at the same time, the captive fastener 178 can be selectively tightened to lock the second cooling component 138 to the first cooling component 136. In some examples, the captive fastener 178 includes a head portion 178A, a middle portion 178B, an end portion 178C, a first body portion 178D connecting the head portion 178A and the middle portion 178B, and a second body portion 178E connecting the middle portion 178B and the end portion 178C. The head portion 178A and the middle portion 178B have substantially equal diameters. The first body portion 178D and the second body portion 178E have substantially equal diameters. The diameter of the middle portion 178B may be larger than the diameter of the captive fastener hole 172, thereby freely retaining the captive fastener 178 in the captive fastener hole 172. The second body portion 178E may have threads to move relative to the counter-threads formed in the captive fastener hole 172. Further, the end portion 178C of the captive fastener 178 may be connected to the first cooling member 136 (see Figure 3 )'s retaining tabs 150 engage to couple the first cooling member 136 and the second cooling member 138 to each other.

[0062] Although Figure 1A-1BThe circuit assembly 100 is shown as including one cooling module 106, but it is also contemplated within the scope of the present disclosure that more than one cooling module is used in the circuit assembly 100. The cooling module 106 presented herein is a fluid cooling module that requires the use of a cold fluid 198A to carry away waste heat from the electronic chip 125 and to produce a hot fluid 198B. ​​For ease of illustration, other components and devices of the thermal management system (e.g., CDU, manifold, flow lines, coolant circulation pumps, valves, etc.) are used to enable the cold fluid 198A to flow from the CDU to the cooling module 106 and to enable the hot fluid 198B to flow to the CDU, which other components and devices are not shown in FIGS.1A-1B and are considered to be beyond the scope of the present disclosure.

[0063] refer to Figure 1A-1B and Figures 2A-2C During assembly of the cooling module 106, the electronic circuit module 104 is disposed on the base portion 102A of the frame 102 such that the circuit board 128 is seated on the bottom plate section 112A of the base portion 102A, and each of the plurality of third clamping holes 114C is aligned to a corresponding hole in the plurality of first clamping holes 114A in the base portion 102A. Further, the cover portion 102B of the frame 102 is mounted in the base portion 102A such that the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126 are accessible from the opening 110 in the cover portion 102B. Further, each of the second holes in the plurality of second clamping holes 114B in the cover portion 102B is aligned to a corresponding hole in the plurality of third clamping holes 114C in the circuit board 128. Later, one of the plurality of clamping fasteners (not shown) is inserted into corresponding clamping holes among the plurality of second clamping holes 114B, the plurality of third clamping holes 114C and the plurality of first clamping holes 114A (in the covering part 102B, the circuit board 128 and the base part 102A, respectively) so as to connect the covering part 102B to the base part 102A and form a frame 102 having the electronic circuit module 104 sandwiched therebetween.

[0064] As in Figure 2C As discussed in the example of , the electronic chips 125 (e.g., the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126) may have at least one of a varying height (“H1”, “H2”) or flatness (“F1”, “F2”), thereby causing the topology of the corresponding top surfaces 130, 134 to be uneven. For example, in some embodiments, the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126 disposed on the circuit board 128 may have different heights “H1” and H2, respectively, such as Figure 2CAs shown in . Therefore, the top surface 130 of the first electronic chipset 124 and the top surface 134 of the second electronic chipset 126 may be positioned at different heights, respectively. Similarly, the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126 may have different flatnesses "F1" and "F2", respectively, due to design tolerances, etc., as shown in FIG. Figure 2C In some other embodiments, even though the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126 disposed on the circuit board 128 may have the same height, the top surface 130 of the first electronic chipset 124 and the top surface 134 of the second electronic chipset 126 may be positioned at different heights due to one or more of soldering defects or variations in pressure applied to the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126.

[0065] According to aspects of the present disclosure, cooling module 106 facilitates accommodating such variations in at least one of flatness or height between first electronic chipset 124 and second electronic chipset 126, as discussed below. Figure 1A-1B and Figure 2D-2E , the first cooling component 136 is mounted on the frame 102 such that the first cooling portion 142 of the first cooling component 136 faces the first electronic chipset 124 of the circuit board 128. In some examples, when the first cooling component 136 is mounted on the frame 102, the first thermal interface surface 142A of the first cooling component 136 can be aligned with the first thermal interface surface 130A of the first electronic chipset 124. As discussed, in Figure 2C In the example of FIG. 1 , since the first thermal interface surface 130A of the first electronic chipset 124 has an uneven flatness “F1”, the first thermal interface surface 142A of the first cooling member 136 may be aligned to it, thereby causing the top surface 144 of the first cooling member 136 to be tilted. Later, each of the plurality of first spring-loaded fasteners 174 is inserted into a corresponding third hole 118C in the first cooling member 136 and into a corresponding first hole 118A in the cover portion 102B to connect the first cooling member 136 to the frame 102. In some examples, each spring of the plurality of first spring-loaded fasteners 174 may bias the first cooling member 136 to move toward the first electronic chipset 124, thereby establishing a first thermal interface between the first thermal interface surface 142A of the first cooling member 136 and the first thermal interface surface 130A of the first electronic chipset 124.

[0066] Further, the second cooling component 138 is positioned above the first cooling component 136 so that the plurality of retaining holes 170 in the second cooling component 138 are aligned with the plurality of retaining tabs 150 of the first cooling component 136. Later, the second cooling component 138 is mounted on the frame 102, wherein the second cooling portion 160 of the second cooling component 138 faces the second electronic chipset 126 of the circuit board 128. In such an example, when the second cooling component 138 is mounted on the frame 102, the first cooling component 136 is positioned within the recessed portion 154 of the second cooling component 138, and each retaining tab of the plurality of retaining tabs 150 protrudes along a corresponding hole of the plurality of retaining holes 170.

[0067] Further, when the second cooling component 138 is mounted on the frame 102, as discussed herein, each of the pair of first fluid connectors 148 in the first cooling component 136 is movably connected to a corresponding connector in the pair of second fluid connectors 164 in the second cooling component 138 to establish a fluid flow path 190 between the first cooling component 136 and the second cooling component 138 (see Figure 1C For example, the first connector 148A of the pair of first fluid connectors 148 may be movably connected to the other first connector 164A of the pair of second fluid connectors 164 to establish the inlet fluid flow path 190A between the first cooling component 136 and the second cooling component 138 (see Figure 5A-5B Similarly, the second connector 148B of the pair of first fluid connectors 148 is movably connected to the other second connector 164B of the pair of second fluid connectors 164 to establish an outlet fluid flow path 190B between the first cooling component 136 and the second cooling component 138 (see Figure 5A-5B ).

[0068] In some examples, mounting the second cooling member 138 on the frame 102 causes the second cooling member 138 to move upward (and downward) relative to the first cooling member 136 to accommodate changes in the height (“H1”, “H2”) of the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126. Further, mounting the second cooling member 138 to the frame 102 may additionally cause the second cooling member 138 to tilt relative to the first cooling member 136 to align with the top surface 144 of the first cooling member 136 to accommodate changes in the flatness (“F1”, “F2”) between the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126. In some examples, mounting the second cooling member 138 on the frame 102 may cause both tilting movement and up and down movement of the second cooling member 138 relative to the first cooling member 136 to accommodate changes in the flatness and height, respectively, between the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126. In such examples, each retention tab of the plurality of retention tabs 150 may be slid along a corresponding retention aperture of the plurality of retention apertures 170 in order to align the second cooling component 138 with the first cooling component 136 .

[0069] refer to Figure 1C-1D In some examples, the first connector 148A of the pair of first fluid connectors 148 is a fluid piston 148A1. In such examples, the fluid piston 148A1 has a first diameter "D1" and an outer circumferential groove 180 formed on a portion of the fluid piston 148A1 has a groove diameter "D2". In some examples, the first diameter "D1" is approximately 0.483 inches to approximately 0.538 inches. Similarly, the groove diameter "D2" is approximately 0.376 inches to approximately 0.378 inches. In some other examples, the first connector 148A of the pair of first fluid connectors 148 may be a fluid aperture. The cooling module 106 further includes an O-ring seal 182 disposed in the outer circumferential groove 180 of the fluid piston 148A1. In some examples, the inner diameter of the O-ring seal 182 may be approximately 0.359 inches to approximately 0.367 inches. In some examples, the fluid piston 148A1 is connected to the intermediate fluid channel 194 (such as Figure 5A-5B An end portion 184 of the housing 100 is shown in FIG.

[0070] In some examples, the other first connector 164A of the pair of second fluid connectors 164 is a fluid aperture 164A1. In such examples, the fluid aperture 164A1 has a wall 186 (or circumferential wall) and a second diameter "D3". In some examples, the second diameter "D3" is greater than the first diameter "D1". In some examples, the second diameter "D3" is about 0.486 inches to about 0.544 inches. The fluid aperture 164A1 is connected to the first fluid channel 192 (e.g., Figure 5A-5B In some other examples, the other first connector 164A of the pair of second fluid connectors 164 can be a fluid piston.

[0071] In one or more examples, the first connector 148A of the pair of first fluid connectors 148 is movably connected to the other first connector 164A of the pair of second fluid connectors 164 to establish a fluid flow path 190 between the first cooling component 136 and the second cooling component 138. In other words, the fluid aperture 164A1 is movably connected to the fluid piston 148A1 to establish a fluid flow path 190 therebetween. For example, the fluid piston 148A1 is inserted inside the wall 186 of the fluid aperture 164A1 so that the O-ring seal 182 is compressed against the wall 186. In such examples, the fluid piston 148A1 and the fluid aperture 164A1 are circumferentially maintained at a uniform extrusion gap "G1" along the second diameter "D3" of the fluid aperture 164A1. In some examples, the extrusion gap "G1" may be about 0.002 inches to about 0.008 inches.

[0072] In some examples, when the fluid piston 148A1 is movably coupled to the fluid aperture 164A1, the O-ring seal 182 is compressed against the wall 186 of the fluid aperture 164A1 to prevent fluid from leaking from the fluid flow path 190 (eg, Figure 5A , Figure 5B). In some examples, the O-ring seal 182 may be compressed in a range of approximately 10% to 30% to maintain sufficient contact with the wall 186 of the fluid aperture 164A1. As discussed herein, the O-ring seal 182 slides along the wall 186 of the fluid aperture 164A1 by the up and down movement of the second cooling member 138 relative to the first cooling member 136. In other words, while the O-ring seal 182 remains in contact with the wall 186, the wall 186 slides down or up to accommodate changes in the height ("H1", "H2") between the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126. Therefore, the O-ring seal 182 can permit the second cooling member 138 to move independently relative to the first cooling member 136 to accommodate any changes in the height ("H1", "H2") between the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126. In some examples, the heights ("H1", "H2") may vary from about 0.0052 inches to about 0.0058 inches.

[0073] refer to Figure 1D , the O-ring seal 182 can be eccentrically compressed against the wall 186 of the fluid aperture 164A1 by the tilting movement of the second cooling member 138 relative to the first cooling member 136. In some examples, the O-ring seal 182 can be eccentrically compressed to about 0.15 inches to about 2.5 inches. In such examples, the fluid piston 148A1 and the fluid aperture 164A1 are circumferentially maintained in a varying extrusion gap "G2" along the second diameter "D3" of the fluid aperture 164A1. Thus, the O-ring seal 182 can permit the second cooling member 138 to tilt independently relative to the first cooling member 136 to accommodate changes in flatness ("F1", "F2") between the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126. In some examples, the change in height ("F1", "F2") can be about 1.975 degrees to about 8.746 degrees. Thus, with reference to Figure 1C-1D The O-ring seal 182 may permit three-dimensional movement of the second cooling component 138 relative to the first cooling component 136 to accommodate changes in at least one of the height (“H1”, “H2”) or flatness (“F1”, “F2”) between the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126.

[0074] In some examples, when the second cooling member 138 is mounted on the frame 102, the second thermal interface surface 160A of the second cooling member 138 can be aligned with the second thermal interface surface 134A of the second electronic chipset 126. Further, each of the plurality of second spring-loaded fasteners 176 is inserted into a corresponding fourth hole 118D in the second cooling member 138 and a corresponding second hole 118B in the cover portion 102B to connect the second cooling member 138 to the frame 102. In some examples, each spring of the plurality of second spring-loaded fasteners 176 can bias the second cooling member 138 to move toward the second electronic chipset 126, thereby establishing a second thermal interface between the second thermal interface surface 160A of the second cooling member 138 and the second thermal interface surface 134A of the second electronic chipset 126. In some examples, each of the plurality of first spring-loaded fasteners 174 can be accessed (i.e., for example, for loosening) via a corresponding hole in the plurality of fifth holes 118E in the second cooling member 138. Similarly, each of the plurality of clamping fasteners may be accessed (ie, for example, for loosening) via a corresponding hole in the plurality of fourth clamping holes 114D in the second cooling component 138. Figure 1C-1D In one or more examples, the O-ring seal 182 slides along the wall 186 of the fluid aperture 164A1 by the up and down movement of the second cooling component 138 relative to the first cooling component 136, is eccentrically compressed against the wall 186 of the fluid aperture 164A1 by the tilting movement of the second cooling component 138 relative to the first cooling component 136, or a combination of both.

[0075] Figure 3 Depicted Figure 1A-1B A perspective view of a portion of the first cooling member 136 and a pair of captive fasteners 178. It may be noted herein that for ease of illustration, Figure 3 The second cooling member 138 is not illustrated, and such illustration should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure. Figure 2E , Figure 2G and Figure 3 , each of the plurality of captive fasteners 178 is pre-set in a corresponding captive fastener hole in the plurality of captive fastener holes 172. In addition, each of the plurality of captive fasteners 178 is fastened so as to engage each captive fastener 178 with a corresponding retaining tab in the plurality of retaining tabs 150, thereby coupling the first cooling component 136 and the second cooling component 138 to each other. Therefore, the captive fasteners 178 can complete the process of assembling the cooling module 106 to the electronic circuit module 104.

[0076] During operation of the circuit assembly 100, the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126 may generate waste heat. As will be appreciated, such waste heat generated by the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126 is undesirable and may affect the operation of the electronic circuit module 104 if not effectively managed. Therefore, in some examples, the proposed cooling module 106 may establish a sufficient thermal interface between the cooling component and the electronic chip to achieve efficient waste heat transfer from the electronic chip, regardless of variations in at least one of the height and flatness between the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126. Therefore, according to aspects of the present disclosure, the cooling module 106 facilitates effective cooling of the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126, regardless of variations in at least one of the height or flatness between the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126.

[0077] Figure 4 4 is a flow chart depicting a method 400 of assembling a cooling module to an electronic circuit module of a circuit assembly. It should be noted herein that, for example, the method 400 is combined with Figures 1A-1D and Figure 2A-2G 404. The method 400 starts at frame 402 and continues to frame 404. At frame 404, the method 400 includes: coupling the electronic circuit module to the frame of the circuit assembly. In some examples, the electronic circuit module is disposed on a base portion of the frame. Further, a cover portion of the frame is mounted on the base portion so that the electronic circuit module is sandwiched between the base portion and the cover portion. Later, one of the plurality of clamping fasteners is inserted into each of the plurality of second clamping holes, the plurality of third clamping holes, and the plurality of first clamping holes (formed in the cover portion of the frame, the circuit board of the electronic circuit module, and the base portion of the frame, respectively) to couple the electronic circuit module to the frame. In some examples, the electronic circuit module includes a circuit board, and the first electronic chipset and the second electronic chipset are disposed on the circuit board. The method 400 continues to frame 406.

[0078] At block 406, method 400 includes connecting a first cooling component of a cooling module in the circuit assembly to a frame to establish a first thermal interface between the first cooling component and a first electronic chipset. In some examples, a plurality of first spring-loaded fasteners are used to connect the first cooling component to a cover portion of the frame. The method continues to block 408.

[0079] At block 408, method 400 includes positioning a second cooling component of the cooling module over the first cooling component to align a plurality of holes (retention holes) of the second cooling component to a plurality of retention tabs of the first cooling component. The method continues to block 410. At block 410, method 400 includes mounting the second cooling component on the frame. In some examples, mounting includes positioning the first cooling component within a recessed portion of the second cooling component. Further, mounting includes causing each of the plurality of retention tabs to protrude along a corresponding hole in the plurality of retention holes. Additionally, mounting includes movably connecting each of a pair of first fluid connectors in the first cooling component to a corresponding connector in a pair of second fluid connectors in the second cooling component to establish a fluid flow path between the first cooling component and the second cooling component. In some examples, method 400 includes performing additional sub-steps when mounting the second cooling component on the frame. In some examples, the first sub-step may include tilting the second cooling component relative to the first cooling component to align with a surface of the first cooling component to accommodate variations in flatness between the first electronic chipset and the second electronic chipset. Further, the second sub-step may include: moving the second cooling member upward (and / or downward) relative to the first cooling member to accommodate changes in height between the first electronic chipset and the second electronic chipset. In some examples, mounting the second cooling member on the frame may cause both tilting movement and up and down movement of the second cooling member relative to the first cooling member to accommodate changes in flatness and height between the first electronic chipset and the second electronic chipset, respectively. In some examples, the cooling module further includes an O-ring seal connected to one of the pair of first fluid connectors or the pair of second fluid connectors. In such examples, the O-ring seal slides along the wall of the other connector of the pair of first fluid connectors or the pair of second fluid connectors by the up and down movement of the second cooling member relative to the first cooling member, eccentrically compresses against the wall by the tilting movement of the second cooling member relative to the first cooling member, or a combination of the two. Method 400 continues to box 412.

[0080] At block 412, method 400 includes connecting a second cooling component to the frame to establish a second thermal interface between the second cooling component and the second electronic chipset. In some examples, a plurality of second spring-loaded fasteners are used to connect the second cooling component to the cover portion of the frame. Method 400 may additionally include the steps of coupling the first cooling component and the second cooling component to each other by inserting each of the plurality of captive fasteners into a corresponding captive fastener hole of the plurality of captive fastener holes in the second cooling component so that each captive fastener engages a corresponding retaining tab of the plurality of retaining tabs of the first cooling component. Method 400 ends at block 414.

[0081] Figure 5A The circuit assembly 100 is depicted along Figure 1B In particular, Figure 5A A cross-sectional top view of the second cooling component 138 in the cooling module 106 is depicted. Figure 5B Depicted Figure 1A-1B 106, the cooling module having a first cooling component 136 and a second cooling component 138. In particular, Figure 5B A cross-sectional top view of the first cooling portion 142 of the first cooling member 136 and the second cooling portion 160 and the third cooling portion 162 of the second cooling member 138 may be depicted. Figure 5A-5B .

[0082] As discussed above, the circuit assembly 100 includes the frame 102, the electronic circuit module 104, and the cooling module 106. In such an example, the cooling module 106 includes a first cooling component 136 (eg, Figure 5B ) and a second cooling component 138. In some examples, the first cooling component 136 has a pair of first fluid connectors 148 and an intermediate fluid channel 194. The second cooling component 138 has a fluid inlet 166, a fluid outlet 168, a pair of second fluid connectors 164, a first fluid channel 192, and a second fluid channel 196.

[0083] In some examples, the first cooling member 136 is positioned within the recessed portion 154 (eg, Figure 2D-2E) to fluidly couple the first cooling component 136 and the second cooling component 138 to each other. In such examples, each connector in the pair of first fluid connectors 148 is movably connected to a corresponding connector in the pair of second fluid connectors 164 to establish a fluid flow path 190 between the first cooling component 136 and the second cooling component 138. For example, the first connector 148A in the pair of first fluid connectors 148 is movably connected to the other first connector 164A in the pair of second fluid connectors 164 to establish an inlet fluid flow path 190A between the first cooling component 136 and the second cooling component 138. Similarly, the second connector 148B in the pair of first fluid connectors 148 is movably connected to the other second connector 164B in the pair of second fluid connectors 164 to establish an outlet fluid flow path 190B between the first cooling component 136 and the second cooling component 138. Therefore, the pair of first fluid connectors 148 and the pair of second fluid connectors 164 enable the first cooling component 136 to be fluidly connected to the second cooling component 138. In some examples, each connector in the pair of first fluid connectors 148 is one of a fluid piston or a fluid aperture. Further, each connector in the pair of second fluid connectors 164 is the other of a fluid piston or a fluid aperture. Figure 1C-1D and Figure 5A-5B In the example of FIG. 1 , for example, each of the pair of first fluid connectors 148 is a fluid piston 148A1 (see Figure 1C-1D ), and each of the pair of second fluid connectors 164 is a fluid aperture 164A1 (see Figure 1C-1D ). The cooling module 106 further includes an O-ring seal 182 (eg Figure 1C-1D In such an example, an O-ring seal 182 is disposed in the outer circumferential groove 180 of the fluid piston 148A1 (as shown in FIG. Figure 1C-1D). When the fluid piston 148A1 is movably connected to the fluid aperture 164A1, the O-ring seal 182 is compressed against the wall 186 of the fluid aperture 164A1 to prevent fluid from leaking from the inlet fluid flow path 190A and the outlet fluid flow path 190B. Further, as discussed above, the O-ring seal 182 can slide along the wall 186 of the fluid aperture 164A1 (or the wall 186 can slide along the O-ring seal 182) by the up and down movement of the second cooling member 138 relative to the first cooling member 136 to accommodate changes in height between the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126. Similarly, the O-ring seal 182 is eccentrically compressed against the wall 186 of the fluid aperture 164A1 by the tilting movement of the second cooling member 138 relative to the first cooling member 136 to accommodate changes in flatness between the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126.

[0084] In some examples, each of the first fluid channel 192 and the second fluid channel 196 is formed in the second cooling member 138. In particular, the first fluid channel 192 is formed in the second cooling portion 160 and the third cooling portion 162 of the second cooling member 138, respectively (eg, Figure 2D-2E ). The second fluid passage 196 is formed in the third cooling portion 162. Similarly, the intermediate fluid passage 194 is formed in the first cooling member 136. In particular, the intermediate fluid passage 194 is formed in the first cooling portion 142 (eg, Figure 2D In some examples, the first fluid channel 192 extends between the fluid inlet 166 and the first connector 148A of the pair of first fluid connectors 148. The second fluid channel 196 extends between the second connector 148B of the pair of first fluid connectors 148 and the fluid outlet 168. Further, the intermediate fluid channel 194 extends between the first connector 164A and the second connector 164B of the pair of second fluid connectors 164.

[0085] In one or more examples, the first fluid channel 192 includes a supply section 192A, a main body section 192B and a return section 192C. In some examples, the main body section 192B has a tortuous or circuitous flow route. For example, the main body section 192B is bifurcated into a first main body section 192B1 and a second main body section 192B2. Further, the first main body section 192B1 and the second main body section 192B2 are merged into a third main body section 192B3. In some examples, the first main body section 192B1 and the second main body section 192B2 are parallel sections. In some examples, the intermediate fluid channel 194 has a one-way flow route. In some examples, the main body section 192B and the intermediate fluid channel 194 include microchannels. In some examples, each microchannel may have a width of approximately 0.15 mm.

[0086] refer to Figure 5A The fluid inlet 166 and the fluid outlet 168 are arranged to be spaced apart from each other and are formed on the first peripheral wall 162A of the third cooling portion 162 (see Figure 2D ). Further, the first fluid channel 192 is formed in the third cooling portion 162 and the second cooling portion 160. For example, the supply section 192A is formed in the third cooling portion 162, the main body section 192B is formed in the second cooling portion 160, and the return section 192C is formed in the second cooling portion 160 and the third cooling portion 162. In such examples, a pair of connector body channels 192D connects the first main body section 192B1 and the second main body section 192B2 to the supply section 192A, respectively. In some examples, each of the pair of connector body channels 192D is a radial channel that extends between the third cooling portion 162 and the second cooling portion 160, respectively. Further, the return section 192C is an inclined section that extends between the second cooling portion 160 and the third cooling portion 162, respectively. Further, the intermediate fluid channel 194 is formed in the first cooling portion 142. Similarly, the second fluid channel 196 is formed in the third cooling portion 162.

[0087] refer to Figure 5B The first body section 192B1 and the second body section 192B2 extend over the plurality of second electronic chips 126A of the second electronic chipset 126. The third body section 192B3 extends over the third electronic chip 126B of the second electronic chipset 126. The intermediate fluid channel 194 extends over the first electronic chip 124A of the first electronic chipset 124 disposed on the circuit board 128.

[0088] During operation of the circuit assembly 100, the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126 may generate waste heat. As will be appreciated, such waste heat generated by the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126 is undesirable and may affect the operation of the electronic circuit module 104 if not effectively managed. Therefore, in some examples, the proposed cooling module 106 may establish a sufficient thermal interface between the cooling component and the electronic chip to achieve efficient waste heat transfer from the electronic chip, regardless of changes in at least one of the height and flatness between the first electronic chipset 124 and the second electronic chipset 126. Further, in some examples, the proposed cooling module 106 may include a fluid channel having a tortuous flow path so as to increase: a) the velocity of the fluid within the fluid channel and b) the heat transfer coefficient between the cooling component and the fluid. Therefore, the proposed cooling module 106 can receive the fluid at a reduced volume flow rate, thereby allowing the CDU to adapt to the cold fluid (secondary fluid) requirements of multiple computing nodes (or multiple circuit assemblies 100) in each server system of the data center environment. In some examples, the volumetric flow rate may be approximately 0.12 gallons per minute.

[0089] refer to Figure 5B , the second cooling component 138 receives a cold fluid 198A via a fluid inlet 166. For example, the first fluid channel 192 of the second cooling component 138 receives the cold fluid 198A, for example, from the CDU. In such an example, the supply section 192A of the first fluid channel 192 guides the cold fluid 198A to the main body section 192B. In the main body section 192B, the cold fluid 198A absorbs waste heat from the second electronic chipset 126 and generates a portion of the hot fluid 198B. ​​For example, the cold fluid 198A is bifurcated into a first portion 198A1 and a second portion 198A2 in the main body section 192B. The first portion 198A1 is guided to the first main body section 192B1 to be distributed from the first row 127A (such as Figure 2B The plurality of second electronic chips 126A of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 absorb waste heat and generate a first portion 198B1 of a portion of the thermal fluid. Similarly, the second portion 198A2 is directed to the second body section 192B2 to be arranged in a second row 127B (as shown in FIG. 1 ). Figure 2BThe plurality of second electronic chips 126A of the first cooling component 136 (shown in FIG. 1 ) absorb waste heat and generate a second portion 198B2 of the partial thermal fluid. Later, the first portion 198B1 and the second portion 198B2 of the partial thermal fluid are mixed together to form a mixed portion 198B3 of the partial thermal fluid in the third body section 192B3. The mixed portion 198B3 of the partial thermal fluid is guided in the third body section 192B3 to absorb waste heat from the third electronic chip 126B and generate a partial thermal fluid 198B. ​​Further, the third body section 192B3 guides the partial thermal fluid 198B to the return section 192C. In such examples, the return section 192C discharges the partial thermal fluid 198B into the intermediate fluid channel 194 of the first cooling component 136 via the inlet fluid flow path 190A. In some examples, the intermediate fluid channel 194 discharges the partial thermal fluid 198B from one end portion 184 (such as Figure 1C 160 ) is directed to another end portion (not labeled) to absorb waste heat from the first electronic chip 124A of the first electronic chipset 124 and generate hot fluid 198C. Further, the intermediate fluid channel 194 discharges the hot fluid 198C from the other end portion to the second fluid channel 196 of the second cooling member 138 via the outlet fluid flow path 190B. In some examples, the second fluid channel 196 further directs the hot fluid 198C to the fluid outlet 168 so that the hot fluid 198C is returned from the second cooling member 138.

[0090] As discussed herein, the first fluid channel 192 of the second cooling component 138 having a tortuous flow route can significantly increase the velocity of the fluid (e.g., the cold fluid 198A and a portion of the hot fluid 198B) within the second cooling component 138 to efficiently dissipate waste heat from the second electronic chipset 126. Therefore, the first fluid channel 192 can reduce the volume flow rate of the fluid (e.g., the cold fluid 198A) to be circulated in the cooling module 106 to cool the second electronic chipset 126. For example, the body section 192B of the first fluid channel 192 having bifurcated fluid sections (i.e., the first body section 192B1 and the second body section 192B2) can enable the cold fluid 198A to be guided in parallel at a relatively high velocity to uniformly cool the plurality of second electronic chips 126A (memory chips). In one or more examples, the bifurcation of the main body section 192B into the first main body section 192B1 and the second main body section 192B2 can reduce the flow area of ​​the fluid flow, thereby increasing: i) the velocity of the cold fluid 198A in the bifurcated main body sections 192B1 and 192B2, and ii) the heat transfer coefficient between the cold fluid 198A and the plurality of second electronic chips 126A. Further, the merged main body section (i.e., the third main body section 192B3) can enable the mixed portion of the partial hot fluid 198B1 and 198B2 to be guided at a relatively high velocity so as to effectively cool the high-power third electronic chip 126B (or GPU chip). In one or more examples, the first body section 192B1 and the second body section 192B2 are merged into a merged body section 192B3, which can mix the flow of the first partial thermal fluid portion 198B1 and the second partial thermal fluid portion 198B2 into the mixed portion 198B3 of the partial thermal fluid, thereby increasing: i) the velocity of the mixed portion of the partial thermal fluids 198B1, 198B2, and ii) the heat transfer coefficient between the mixed portion of the partial thermal fluids 198B1, 198B2 and the third electronic chip 126B. Further, as discussed herein, the intermediate fluid channel 194 of the first cooling component 136 with a one-way flow route can enable the partial thermal fluid 198B to be directed at a relatively low velocity to effectively cool the low-power first electronic chip 124A (or CPU chip). In one or more examples, the first electronic chip 124A is a low-power electronic chipset, and thus generates waste heat that is substantially lower than waste heat generated by a high-power electronic chipset (such as the plurality of second electronic chips 126A and the third electronic chip 126B). Additionally, the first electronic chip 124A has a housing temperature that is higher than the housing temperatures of the plurality of second electronic chips 126A and the third electronic chip 126B. It may be noted herein that the term "housing temperature" may refer to the maximum temperature that an electronic chip may reach when operating to perform an assigned task or workload.Therefore, the first cooling member 136 may not need to have a tortuous flow path to dissipate waste heat from the first electronic chip 124A having a low case temperature and low power consumption.

[0091] In one or more examples, the flow of the fluid (e.g., the cold fluid 198A and a portion of the hot fluid 198B) in the tortuous flow path of the first fluid channel 192 may cause a relatively high pressure drop of the fluid in the second cooling component 138. Similarly, the flow of the fluid (e.g., a portion of the hot fluid 198B) in the one-way flow path of the intermediate fluid channel 194 may also cause a pressure drop of the fluid in the first cooling component 136. Therefore, the cooling module 106 having a relatively high pressure drop of the fluid may be beneficial to the CDU in order to maintain a balanced flow of the fluid across multiple circuit assemblies 100 (or computing nodes) in each electronic system (or each server system) of the data center environment. In some examples, the first fluid channel 192 having a tortuous flow path may enable the cooling module 106 to have a volume flow rate of approximately 0.12 gallons per minute. Therefore, the CDU in the data center environment may be able to adapt to the cold fluid 198A requirements of multiple server systems of the data center environment. In some examples, the CDU may be provided to supply cold fluid 198A for multiple racks, for example, to at least four racks, where each rack may have approximately thirty-two server systems, and each server system may have approximately eight circuit assemblies, and each circuit assembly may have at least one cooling module.

[0092] In some examples, the plurality of second electronic chips 126A may have a second housing temperature (e.g., a low housing temperature), and the third electronic chip 126B may have a third housing temperature (e.g., a high housing temperature), wherein the third housing temperature is greater than the second housing temperature. In such examples, since the cold fluid 198A is first directed to the bifurcated body sections 192B1, 192B2 (these two body sections are in thermal contact with the plurality of second electronic chips 126A having a low housing temperature), the cold fluid 198A may have sufficient thermal margin to efficiently dissipate waste heat from the plurality of second electronic chips 126A. As used herein, the term "thermal margin" may refer to the temperature difference between the housing temperature of an electronic chip and the temperature of a fluid. Further, since the mixed portion of the partial thermal fluids 198B1, 198B2 is directed to the merged main body section 192B2 (which is in thermal contact with the third electronic chip 126B having a high shell temperature), the mixed portion of the partial thermal fluids 198B1, 198B2 may still have sufficient thermal margin to efficiently dissipate waste heat from the third electronic chip 126B.

[0093] In some examples, the first electronic chip 124A may have a first housing temperature (e.g., a highest housing temperature) that is respectively greater than the second housing temperatures of the plurality of second electronic chips 126A and the third housing temperature of the third electronic chip 126B. In such examples, since a portion of the thermal fluid 198B is directed to the intermediate fluid channel 194 (which is in thermal contact with the first electronic chip 124A having the highest housing temperature), the portion of the thermal fluid 198B may still have sufficient thermal margin to efficiently dissipate waste heat from the first electronic chip 124A.

[0094] Figure 6 6 is a flow chart depicting a method 600 for dissipating waste heat from an electronic circuit module of a circuit assembly. It should be noted herein that, for example, the method 600 is combined with Figures 1A-1D and Figure 5A-5B The method 600 starts at block 602 and continues to block 604. At block 604, the method 600 includes receiving a cold fluid by a second cooling component of the cooling module via a fluid inlet in the second cooling component. In some examples, the second cooling component is connected to a frame of the electronic circuit assembly to establish a second thermal interface with a second electronic chipset of the electronic circuit module coupled to the frame. In some examples, a plurality of second spring-loaded fasteners are used to connect the second cooling component to the frame. The method 600 continues to block 606.

[0095] At box 606, method 600 includes: guiding a cold fluid in a first fluid channel of a second cooling component to absorb waste heat from a second electronic chipset and generate a partial hot fluid. In one or more examples, the first fluid channel includes a supply section, a main section, and a return section. The main section is bifurcated into a first main section and a second main section. Further, the first main section and the second main section are merged into a third main section. In some examples, the first main section and the second main section are parallel sections. In some examples, guiding a cold fluid in a first fluid channel includes a plurality of sub-steps. In some examples, the first sub-step includes: guiding a first portion of a cold fluid in a first main section to generate a first portion of a partial hot fluid. In some examples, the first portion of the cold fluid absorbs waste heat from the plurality of second electronic chips arranged along a first row of the second electronic chipset, and generates a first portion of a partial hot fluid. The second sub-step includes: guiding a second portion of a cold fluid in a second main section to generate a second portion of a partial hot fluid. In some examples, a first portion of the cold fluid absorbs waste heat from the plurality of second electronic chips arranged along the second row of the second electronic chipset and generates a second portion of a partial hot fluid. In one or more examples, the first portion and the second portion of the cold fluid are directed parallel to each other. In some examples, each of the plurality of second electronic chips may include a memory chip. The third sub-step includes: directing a mixed portion of the partial hot fluid in a third body section to absorb waste heat from a third electronic chip of the second electronic chipset and generate a partial hot fluid, wherein the mixed portion of the partial hot fluid is a mixture of the first portion and the second portion of the partial hot fluid. In some examples, the third electronic chip may include a graphics processing unit (GPU) chip. The method continues to box 608.

[0096] As discussed above, in some examples, the plurality of second electronic chips have a second housing temperature "T2", and the third electronic chip has a third housing temperature "T3". It may be noted herein that the term "housing temperature" may refer to the highest temperature that an electronic chip can reach when operating to perform an assigned task or workload. In some examples, the second housing temperature "T2" is greater than the third housing temperature "T3". Since the third housing temperature "T3" is less than the second housing temperature "T2", the first fluid channel 192 is designed such that: the cold fluid is first directed into the first and second body sections in the body section to absorb waste heat from the plurality of second electronic chips, and then a portion of the hot fluid is directed in the third body section in the body section to absorb waste heat from the third electronic chip. In some examples, the body section is first bifurcated into two channels (e.g., a first body section and a second body section) in order to: i) simultaneously guide the cold fluid to the plurality of second electronic chips arranged along two parallel rows, and ii) increase the velocity of the cold fluid to improve the cooling efficiency of the plurality of second electronic chips (i.e., memory chips). In some examples, the velocity of the cold fluid may be increased due to the reduction in flow area caused by the bifurcation of the first fluid channel. Later, the first body section and the second body section are connected or merged together to form a third body section in order to increase the velocity of a portion of the hot fluid, thereby further improving the cooling efficiency of the third electronic chip (i.e., a high-power GPU chip).

[0097] At block 608, method 600 includes: discharging a portion of the hot fluid from the first fluid channel into the intermediate fluid channel of the first cooling component of the cooling module via an inlet fluid flow path established between the first cooling component and the second cooling component. In some examples, the first cooling component is positioned within a recessed portion of the second cooling component and is connected to the frame to establish a first thermal interface with the first electronic chipset of the electronic circuit module. The method continues to block 610.

[0098] At box 610, the method 600 includes: guiding a portion of the hot fluid in the intermediate fluid channel to absorb waste heat from the first electronic chipset and generate hot fluid. The first electronic chipset may include a first electronic chip, such as a central processing unit (CPU) chip. In some examples, the first electronic chip has a first housing temperature "T1". In some examples, the first housing temperature "T1" is greater than the second housing temperature "T2" and the third housing temperature "T3". Since the first housing temperature "T1" is greater than the second housing temperature "T2" and the third housing temperature "T3", the first fluid channel is designed so that: a portion of the hot fluid is guided from the first fluid channel to the intermediate fluid channel to effectively absorb waste heat from the first electronic chip and generate hot fluid. In one or more examples, the intermediate fluid channel has a one-way flow route because a portion of the hot fluid must only dissipate waste heat from the first electronic chip. The method continues to box 612. At box 612, the method 600 includes: discharging the hot fluid from the intermediate fluid channel to the second fluid channel of the second cooling component via an outlet fluid flow path established between the first cooling component and the second cooling component. The method 600 continues to block 614. At block 614, the method 600 includes directing the hot fluid in the second fluid channel to the fluid outlet to return the hot fluid from the second cooling component. The method 600 ends at block 616.

[0099] Figure 7 7 is a cross-sectional view of another first connector 764A of a pair of second fluid connectors 764 according to another example embodiment of the present disclosure, the other first connector being movably connected to a first connector 748A of a pair of first fluid connectors 748. In some examples, the other first connector 764A is a fluid piston 764A1. In such examples, the fluid piston 764A1 has a first diameter "D1", and an outer circumferential groove 780 formed on a portion of the fluid piston 764A1 has a second diameter "D2". In some examples, the first diameter "D1" is greater than the second diameter "D2". In some examples, the cooling module further includes an O-ring seal 782 disposed in the outer circumferential groove 780 of the fluid piston 764A1. In some examples, the first connector 748A is a fluid aperture 748A1. In such examples, the fluid aperture 748A1 has a wall 786 (or circumferential wall) having a third diameter "D3". In some examples, the third diameter "D3" is greater than the first diameter "D1".

[0100] In one or more examples, the other first connector 764A of the pair of second fluid connectors 764A is movably connected to the first connector 748A of the pair of first fluid connectors 748 to establish a fluid flow path 790 between the second cooling component and the first cooling component of the cooling module, respectively. In other words, the fluid piston 764A1 is movably connected to the fluid aperture 748A1 to establish a fluid flow path 790 (e.g., an inlet fluid flow path 790A) therebetween. For example, the fluid piston 764A1 is inserted into the wall 786 of the fluid aperture 748A1 so that the O-ring seal 782 is compressed against the wall 786 of the fluid aperture 748A1. In some examples, when the fluid piston 764A1 is movably connected to the fluid aperture 748A1, the O-ring seal 782 is compressed against the wall 786 of the fluid aperture 748A1 to prevent fluid from leaking from the fluid flow path 790.

[0101] According to the present embodiment, the proposed cooling module can establish a sufficient thermal interface between the cooling component and the electronic chip to achieve efficient heat transfer from the electronic chip, regardless of the changes in height and flatness between the electronic chips. Further, since each connector in the pair of first fluid connectors or each connector in the pair of second fluid connectors has an O-ring seal, the second cooling component can be allowed to move independently relative to the first cooling component. In other words, the O-ring seal allows the second cooling component to move in 3 dimensions relative to the first cooling component to accommodate changes in at least one of the height or flatness between the first electronic chip and the second electronic chip. Due to the floating (movable) design of the second cooling component disposed on the first cooling component, the cooling module can be interpreted as a monolithic cooling module, which can minimize the cracking of the electronic chip during installation and / or during transportation / handling, as well as on site. Further, the floating ability of the second cooling component can help accommodate changes in the height and coplanarity (flatness) tolerances between two adjacent electronic chips, thereby minimizing raised areas or indentations. Additionally, since spring-loaded fasteners are used to connect the cooling components to the frame, the cooling module can provide improved factory installation, as well as improved field and factory service experience. After the second cooling component is positioned on the corresponding electronic chip, a captive fastener (or set screw) is used to lock the floating of the second cooling component in place, which can ensure that the electronic chip will not be damaged due to fluid pressure during assembly, transportation, service, etc.

[0102] Further, as discussed herein, the design of the first fluid channel in the second cooling component can significantly increase the velocity of the fluid, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the high-power electronic chipset and reducing the volume flow rate of the fluid guided within the cooling module. In other words, the first fluid channel having a circuitous or tortuous flow path can enable the fluid to be guided within the second cooling component at a high velocity to obtain a low volume flow rate, thereby helping to efficiently dissipate waste heat from the second electronic chipset. Additionally, the design of the intermediate flow channel in the first cooling component can reduce the velocity of the fluid, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the low-power electronic chipset and reducing the volume flow rate of the fluid guided within the cooling module, thereby helping to efficiently dissipate waste heat from the second electronic chipset. Therefore, the fluid channels in the first cooling component and the second cooling component can enable the cooling module to have a volume flow rate of approximately 0.12 gallons per minute. Thus, a thermal management unit of a data center environment having a coolant distribution unit (CDU) for distributing coolant fluid may be provided to supply cooling fluid to at least four racks, each rack having approximately thirty-two server systems, and each server system having approximately eight circuit assemblies, and each circuit assembly having at least one cooling module.

[0103] Additionally, the various features as illustrated in the examples described herein can be implemented as a tool-less method for quickly and easily assembling a cooling module to an electronic circuit module / disassembling a cooling module by a technician or customer, thereby reducing server system downtime and the effort associated with such events of assembling a cooling module to an electronic circuit module of a server system and disassembling a cooling module.

[0104] In the above description, numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of the subject matter disclosed herein. However, embodiments may be practiced without some or all of these details. Other embodiments may include modifications, combinations, and variations of the details discussed above. The appended claims are intended to cover such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A cooling module for an electronic circuit module, the cooling module comprising: a first cooling component, the first cooling component comprising a pair of first fluid connectors; as well as a second cooling component, the second cooling component comprising a recessed portion and a pair of second fluid connectors located in the recessed portion, wherein the first cooling component is connectable to a frame supporting the electronic circuit module to establish a first thermal interface between the first cooling component and a first chipset of the electronic circuit module, wherein the second cooling component is mounted on the frame so that the first cooling component is positioned within the recessed portion and each of the pair of first fluid connectors is movably connectable to a corresponding connector of the pair of second fluid connectors to establish a fluid flow path between the first cooling component and the second cooling component, wherein the second cooling component is connectable to the frame to establish a second thermal interface between a second chipset of the electronic circuit module and the second cooling component, Wherein, when the second cooling member is mounted to the frame, the second cooling member moves independently relative to the first cooling member to accommodate a change in at least one of a height or a flatness between the first chipset and the second chipset.

2. The cooling module of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of first spring-loaded fasteners and a plurality of second spring-loaded fasteners, wherein: The first cooling component is connectable to the frame via the plurality of first spring loaded fasteners to establish the first thermal interface with the first chipset, and wherein the second cooling component is connectable to the frame via the plurality of second spring loaded fasteners to establish the second thermal interface with the second chipset.

3. The cooling module according to claim 1, wherein: The second cooling member is tilted relative to the first cooling member to be aligned with a surface of the first cooling member to accommodate a variation in flatness between the first chipset and the second chipset.

4. The cooling module according to claim 1, wherein: The second cooling member moves up and down relative to the first cooling member to accommodate a height change between the first chipset and the second chipset.

5. The cooling module according to claim 1, wherein: The second cooling component has a plurality of holes in the recessed portion, wherein the first cooling component further comprises a plurality of retaining tabs aligned to the plurality of holes, and wherein, when the second cooling component is mounted on the frame, each of the plurality of retaining tabs protrudes along a corresponding hole of the plurality of holes to align the second cooling component with the first cooling component.

6. The cooling module of claim 5, further comprising a plurality of captive fasteners, wherein: Each of the plurality of captive fasteners is fastened to a corresponding retention tab of the plurality of retention tabs to couple the first cooling component and the second cooling component to each other.

7. The cooling module according to claim 1, wherein: Each connector of the pair of first fluid connectors is one of a fluid piston or a fluid aperture, and wherein each connector of the pair of second fluid connectors is the other of the fluid piston or the fluid aperture.

8. The cooling module of claim 7, further comprising an O-ring seal disposed in an outer circumferential groove of the fluid piston, and wherein: Upon movably coupling the fluid piston to the fluid aperture, the O-ring seal is compressed against a wall of the fluid aperture to prevent leakage of fluid from a fluid flow path established between the first cooling component and the second cooling component.

9. The cooling module according to claim 8, wherein: The O-ring seal slides along the wall of the fluid aperture by the up-and-down movement of the second cooling component relative to the first cooling component, or is eccentrically compressed against the wall of the fluid aperture by the tilting movement of the second cooling component relative to the first cooling component, or both slides along the wall of the fluid aperture by the up-and-down movement of the second cooling component relative to the first cooling component and is eccentrically compressed against the wall of the fluid aperture by the tilting movement of the second cooling component relative to the first cooling component.

10. A circuit assembly for an electronic system, the circuit assembly comprising: frame; an electronic circuit module, the electronic circuit module comprising a first chipset and a second chipset disposed on a circuit board of the electronic circuit module, wherein the electronic circuit module is coupled to the frame; and A cooling module, the cooling module comprising: a first cooling component comprising a pair of first fluid connectors; and a second cooling component, the second cooling component comprising a recessed portion and a pair of second fluid connectors located in the recessed portion, wherein the first cooling component is connected to the frame to establish a first thermal interface between the first cooling component and the first chipset, wherein the second cooling component is mounted on the frame so that the first cooling component is positioned within the recessed portion, and each connector of the pair of first fluid connectors is movably connected to a corresponding connector of the pair of second fluid connectors to establish a fluid flow path between the first cooling component and the second cooling component, and wherein the second cooling component is connected to the frame to establish a second thermal interface between the second cooling component and the second chipset, Wherein, when the second cooling member is mounted to the frame, the second cooling member moves independently relative to the first cooling member to accommodate a change in at least one of a height or a flatness between the first chipset and the second chipset.

11. The circuit assembly of claim 10, wherein: The cooling module also includes a plurality of first spring-loaded fasteners and a plurality of second spring-loaded fasteners, wherein the first cooling component is connected to the frame through the plurality of first spring-loaded fasteners to establish the first thermal interface with the first chipset, and wherein the second cooling component is connected to the frame through the plurality of second spring-loaded fasteners to establish the second thermal interface with the second chipset.

12. The circuit assembly of claim 10, wherein: The second cooling member is tilted relative to the first cooling member to align with a surface of the first cooling member to accommodate a change in flatness between the first chipset and the second chipset, and wherein the second cooling member moves up and down relative to the first cooling member to accommodate a change in height between the first chipset and the second chipset.

13. The circuit assembly of claim 10, wherein: The cooling module further comprises a plurality of captive fasteners, wherein the second cooling component has a plurality of holes in the recessed portion, wherein the first cooling component further comprises a plurality of retaining tabs aligned to the plurality of holes, wherein each of the plurality of retaining tabs protrudes along a corresponding hole of the plurality of holes to align the second cooling component with the first cooling component when the second cooling component is mounted on the frame, and wherein each of the plurality of captive fasteners is fastened to a corresponding retaining tab of the plurality of retaining tabs to couple the first cooling component and the second cooling component to each other.

14. The circuit assembly of claim 10, wherein: The cooling module also includes an O-ring seal, wherein each connector of the pair of first fluid connectors is one of a fluid piston or a fluid aperture, wherein each connector of the pair of second fluid connectors is the other of the fluid piston or the fluid aperture, wherein the O-ring seal is disposed in an outer circumferential groove of the fluid piston, wherein when the fluid piston is movably connected to the fluid aperture, the O-ring seal is compressed against a wall of the fluid aperture to prevent fluid leakage from a fluid flow path established between the first cooling component and the second cooling component.

15. The circuit assembly of claim 14, wherein: The O-ring seal slides along the wall of the fluid aperture by the up-and-down movement of the second cooling component relative to the first cooling component, or is eccentrically compressed against the wall of the fluid aperture by the tilting movement of the second cooling component relative to the first cooling component, or both slides along the wall of the fluid aperture by the up-and-down movement of the second cooling component relative to the first cooling component and is eccentrically compressed against the wall of the fluid aperture by the tilting movement of the second cooling component relative to the first cooling component.

16. A method of assembling a cooling module to an electronic circuit module of a circuit assembly, the method comprising: coupling the electronic circuit module to a frame of the circuit assembly, wherein the electronic circuit module includes a circuit board, and a first chipset and a second chipset disposed on the circuit board; connecting a first cooling component of the cooling module to the frame to establish a first thermal interface between the first cooling component and the first chipset; positioning a second cooling component of the cooling module over the first cooling component to align the plurality of apertures of the second cooling component with the plurality of retention tabs of the first cooling component; mounting the second cooling component on the frame such that the first cooling component is positioned within the recessed portion of the second cooling component, each of the plurality of retaining tabs protrudes along a corresponding one of the plurality of holes, and each of a pair of first fluid connectors in the first cooling component is movably connected to a corresponding one of a pair of second fluid connectors in the second cooling component to establish a fluid flow path between the first cooling component and the second cooling component; and connecting the second cooling component to the frame to establish a second thermal interface between the second cooling component and the second chipset, Wherein, mounting the second cooling component on the frame includes: enabling the second cooling component to move independently relative to the first cooling component to accommodate a change in at least one of a height or a flatness between the first chipset and the second chipset.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein: Moving the second cooling part independently relative to the first cooling part includes: tilting the second cooling part relative to the first cooling part to align with a surface of the first cooling part to accommodate changes in flatness between the first chipset and the second chipset, and wherein moving the second cooling part independently relative to the first cooling part also includes: moving the second cooling part up and down relative to the first cooling part to accommodate changes in height between the first chipset and the second chipset.

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