Electronic component cooling using cooling manifold for pressurized air

Abstract

The invention provides a cooling system featuring a cooling manifold having features conformal to the shape of an electronic component to be cooled. Such a cooling manifold may be connected to a source of cooling fluid, such as a source of clean dry air, by flexible and / or rigid flow conduits. The cooling manifold may have one or more outlet ports configured to direct a cooling fluid toward one or more surfaces of the electronic component to be cooled such that the cooling fluid directly impinges on one or more surfaces thereof.

Description

Related Applications

[0001] The PCT application form is filed concurrently with this specification as a part of this application. Each application identified in the concurrently filed PCT application form to which this application claims the benefit or priority is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes. Background Art

[0002] Semiconductor processing tools are complex systems with a large number of different gas flows, wafer handling, and electronic components, some of which generate a large amount of heat that must be dissipated. A cooling system that can be used to more effectively cool some of these components is discussed herein. Summary of the invention

[0003] The details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description that follows. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, drawings, and claims.

[0004] In some implementations, a device may be provided, comprising: one or more electronic components; one or more flow conduits; and one or more cooling manifolds. Each cooling manifold may include one or more outlet ports, each outlet port being configured such that when the fluid flows out of the cooling manifold via the outlet port, the fluid impinges upon at least one surface of at least one of the electronic components. Each cooling manifold may also include one or more internal channels, each internal channel leading to one or more of the outlet ports of the cooling manifold, the one or more internal channels of each cooling manifold may be fluidly connected to one or more inlets, each flow conduit may be fluidly connected to one of the one or more inlets, and the flow conduit may be configured to contain the fluid.

[0005] In some implementations, at least one of the outlet ports can be in fluid communication with ambient air surrounding the device. In some implementations, all of the outlet ports can be in fluid communication with ambient air surrounding the device.

[0006] In some implementations, the one or more flow conduits can be configured to be in fluid connection with a source of clean dry air.

[0007] In some implementations, the one or more flow conduits can be fluidly connected to a source of clean dry air.

[0008] In some implementations, the one or more cooling manifolds may include a first cooling manifold having a first opening leading to a corresponding first blind cavity, the first blind cavity may be configured to accommodate a corresponding one or more first electronic components among the one or more electronic components when the one or more first electronic components are inserted through the first opening, and the first blind cavity may have a corresponding first bottom surface opposite to the corresponding first opening, and one or more first outlet ports among the one or more outlet ports are disposed on the first bottom surface.

[0009] In some implementations, the one or more first electronic components may include a first inductor, the first inductor including a coil portion, in which a conductor moves in a spiral manner around a central axis, the coil portion may have a coil radius relative to the central axis, the first bottom surface may have an arched cross-sectional profile, the arched cross-sectional profile has a first radius greater than the coil radius, and the first opening may be sized to accommodate the coil portion.

[0010] In some implementations, the first blind cavity may have at least one end surface, and each end surface is configured to be located on the coil portion and close to one end or the other end of the coil portion.

[0011] In some implementations, the one or more first outlet ports can include at least two first outlet ports, and each of the at least two first outlet ports can be disposed at a different normal distance from a plane perpendicular to the central axis.

[0012] In some implementations, the at least two first outlet ports can be disposed at spaced apart locations along a first axis parallel to the central axis.

[0013] In some implementations, the first cooling manifold may further include one or more rib walls, each rib wall being disposed on the first bottom surface and located between two of the first outlet ports disposed at spaced apart locations along the first axis.

[0014] In some implementations, the apparatus may further include a first substrate. The first substrate may have an electrical trace electrically connected to the first inductor, and the first opening of the first cooling manifold may be proximate to the first substrate.

[0015] In some implementations, the first radius can be less than or equal to 3 mm greater than the coil radius.

[0016] In some implementations, the one or more cooling manifolds may include a second cooling manifold having one or more second openings, each second opening leading to a corresponding second blind cavity, each second blind cavity may be configured to accommodate a corresponding one or more second electronic components among the one or more electronic components when the one or more second electronic components are inserted through the second opening, and each second blind cavity may have a corresponding second bottom surface opposite to the corresponding second opening, and one or more second outlet ports among the one or more outlet ports are disposed on the second bottom surface.

[0017] In some implementations, each second blind cavity may have a cross-section located on a plane parallel to a second bottom surface of the second blind cavity, the cross-section being larger than a total cross-sectional area of ​​the corresponding one or more second electronic components for the second blind cavity located on the plane.

[0018] In some implementations, the second bottom surface of each second blind cavity may be spaced apart from the corresponding one or more second electronic components in the second blind cavity by no more than a second amount in a direction perpendicular to the second bottom surface.

[0019] In some implementations, the second amount can be approximately 3 mm.

[0020] In some implementations, each second blind cavity can have one or more side surfaces that are spaced apart from the corresponding one or more second electronic components in the second blind cavity by no more than a third amount.

[0021] In some implementations, at least one second bottom surface may have a plurality of second outlet ports disposed thereon, and the plurality of second outlet ports disposed on the at least one second bottom surface may be arranged in a rectangular array or a circular array.

[0022] In some embodiments, the one or more electronic components may include a third electronic component, the one or more cooling manifolds may include a third cooling manifold, the third electronic component may be a second inductor, the third electronic component surrounds at least a portion of the third cooling manifold, the one or more outlet ports may include a plurality of third outlet ports, and the third outlet ports may be arranged along an outer periphery or outer circumference of the portion of the third cooling manifold surrounded by the third electronic component, and be arranged to guide fluid flowing out of the third cooling manifold via the third outlet ports toward an inner surface of the second inductor.

[0023] In some implementations, the apparatus may further include a covering structure that prevents fluid from flowing out of an end region of the second inductor in a direction aligned with a central axis of the second inductor.

[0024] In some implementations, the third electronic component may be a toroidal inductor.

[0025] In some implementations, the one or more electronic components may include one or more terminal lugs or pegs, the one or more cooling manifolds may include a fourth cooling manifold, the fourth cooling manifold having one or more collar elements, each collar element having an opening through which a corresponding one of the terminal lugs or pegs extends, and each collar element may have a region in which an interior surface of the collar element is radially offset outward from the terminal lug or peg through which the terminal lug or peg extends, and the interior surface of the collar element has at least one of the one or more outlet ports disposed therein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In the following discussion, reference is made to the following drawings; the drawings are not intended to be limiting in scope but are provided merely to facilitate the following discussion.

[0027] Figure 1 Depicted is a schematic diagram of a cooling system in the context of a semiconductor processing tool.

[0028] Figure 2 Depicted is an isometric view of an apparatus including electronic components to be cooled and a cooling manifold for cooling the electronic components.

[0029] Figure 3 Depicts a decomposed state Figure 2 An exemplary device of .

[0030] Figure 4 Depicted Figure 2 A top view of the device, wherein the hatching indicates Figure 5-9 's cross-sectional plane.

[0031] Figure 5 Depicts the Figure 4 The corresponding section line in Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of the device.

[0032] Figure 6 Depicts the Figure 4 The corresponding section line in Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of the device.

[0033] Figure 7 Depicts the Figure 4The corresponding section line in Figure 2 An isometric cross-sectional view of the cooling manifold of the device.

[0034] Figure 8 Depicts the Figure 4 The corresponding section line in Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of a variant of the device.

[0035] Fig. 9 Depicted along Figure 4 The corresponding section line in Figure 8 A cross-sectional view of the device.

[0036] Fig.10 Another exemplary apparatus featuring electronic components to be cooled and a cooling manifold for providing such cooling is depicted.

[0037] Fig.11 Depicts a decomposed state Fig.10 device.

[0038] Fig.12 and 13 Depicted Fig.10 A top view and a side view of an exemplary device, wherein the hatching indicates Figures 14 to 16 's cross-sectional plane.

[0039] Fig.14 Depicted along Fig.12 The corresponding section line in Fig.10 A cross-sectional view of the device.

[0040] Fig.15 Depicted along Fig.12 The corresponding section line in Fig.10 A cross-sectional view of the device.

[0041] Fig.16 Depicts the Fig.13 The corresponding section line in Fig.10 A cross-sectional view of the device.

[0042] Fig.17 Depicted is an isometric view of another exemplary apparatus having electronic components to be cooled and a corresponding cooling manifold.

[0043] Fig.18 Depicted Fig.17 An isometric exploded view of an exemplary device.

[0044] Fig.19 Depicted Fig.17 A top view of an exemplary device, wherein hatching is added to indicate Fig. 20 and 21 's cross-sectional plane.

[0045] Fig. 20 Depicts the Fig.19 The corresponding section line in Fig.17 A cross-sectional view of the device.

[0046] Fig.21 Depicts the Fig.19 The corresponding section line in Fig.17 A cross-sectional view of the device.

[0047] Fig. 22 A schematic diagram of an exemplary cooling control system is depicted.

[0048] The above-mentioned drawings are provided to facilitate understanding of the concepts discussed in the present disclosure and are used to depict some implementation schemes that fall within the scope of the present disclosure, but are not intended to be limiting - implementation schemes that conform to the present disclosure and are not depicted in the drawings are still considered to fall within the scope of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] As described above, a semiconductor processing tool or chamber may be provided with or connected to various components that may generate significant amounts of heat and may require cooling, for example, to maintain temperatures within operating limits or to prevent component failure, or to avoid potentially unsafe conditions for human operators.

[0050] Some electronic components used in semiconductor processing tools may be subject to high electrical loads and / or currents, which may result in significant amounts of waste heat being generated by such components. For example, a semiconductor processing tool configured to generate a plasma within one or more semiconductor processing chambers thereof may include various components that are used to condition or filter electromagnetic signals used to ignite and maintain the plasma.

[0051] For example, such a system may feature a susceptor that can be used to support a wafer within a processing chamber. The susceptor can serve as a radio frequency (RF) electrode (or can have such an electrode embedded therein) to which regulated electrical power can be provided, the regulated electrical power being used to generate an electrical potential across an area within the chamber that will ignite and maintain a plasma within the chamber. For example, the regulated electrical power can be filtered, such as using one or more LC (inductor-capacitor) filters, before being provided to the RF electrode to provide electrical power having a frequency or frequencies required to generate the desired plasma. Generally speaking, it can be desirable to place such a filter close to the RF electrode, or generally as close to the RF electrode as possible, so as to minimize exposure of the filtered electronic signal to potential sources of electronic interference during its transmission to the RF electrode. This reduces the likelihood of corruption of the filtered signal, which could negatively affect the generation or maintenance of a plasma within the chamber.

[0052] Various types of components may be used to provide filtering of the electronic signals sent to the RF electrodes. For example, such electronic components may include inductors (so-called "air core" or "air coil" inductors and / or solid-core inductors, such as toroidal core inductors, ferrite core inductors, etc.), capacitors, and / or terminal lugs or plugs that may be used to connect a circuit having such inductors and / or capacitors to a power source (or to the RF electrodes). Such components, due to the large electrical loads to which they are subjected, may generate a large amount of heat that must be dissipated in order to maintain the temperature of such components within a desired temperature range (e.g., within the operating limits of such components).

[0053] In many electronic systems where electronic components require active cooling, such components are typically housed within a housing, and one or more fans are then used to draw ambient air through the housing. This air flow promotes convective heat transfer of the electronic components housed within the housing, thereby cooling the electronic components housed therein.

[0054] However, there are several problems associated with the use of fan-based cooling. First, in general, the housing used has a cross-section that is much larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the fan in a direction perpendicular to the air flow from the fan. Therefore, without using ducts or other techniques to guide the air flow from the fan, the air directed through the housing will tend to flow through the housing in a relatively dispersed manner. This may cause the air flowing through the electronic components in the housing to flow through the electronic components at a much lower speed than the speed of the air through the fan. If a desired flow rate of air through the electronic components is desired, it may be necessary to operate the fan in order to produce a higher flow rate to maintain the desired flow rate through the electronic components.

[0055] Furthermore, heat generation within an electronic component housing is typically highly localized to specific discrete electronic components, such as capacitors, inductors, and the like, while other components, such as wiring harnesses, low voltage processors, and the like, may generate less heat. Furthermore, the space within such a housing is empty space, and thus, of course, does not generate heat. As a result, fan-based cooling systems provide relatively inefficient cooling (from both a heat and power consumption perspective)—the air flow provided by the fan is typically diffuse, and therefore, unless ducted and focused, will flow toward components with high heat generation rates as well as components with low heat generation rates. As a result, some of the air flow that could be used to provide additional cooling to components that generate high heat may instead be directed to cooling components that generate less heat (and require less cooling). At the same time, because the air flow within the housing may flow through areas of the housing that do not require cooling, the fan in such a cooling system may need to be operated at a higher flow rate in order to maintain a level of air flow through the housing sufficient to cool the components within the housing.

[0056] Another problem with fan-based cooling is that such fans typically draw air (cooling medium) from the surrounding ambient air into the housing, use the ambient air to cool the electronic components, and then subsequently exhaust the air back into the surrounding environment. However, in the context of cooling the electronic components of a semiconductor processing tool, using ambient air as a cooling fluid can be problematic because the ambient air near the electronic component housing located on the semiconductor processing tool can be at an elevated temperature compared to "normal" ambient air, such as air at room temperature (-21°C / 70°F). For example, in a typical situation, the electronic component housing within a semiconductor processing tool is located adjacent to equipment that can generate a lot of heat, such as located near a semiconductor processing chamber that can be operated to process semiconductor wafers at temperatures of hundreds of degrees Celsius. The electronic component housing may also be located within a larger housing of the semiconductor processing tool, or located in a location with a high device density, such as the bottom side of a semiconductor processing chamber, which restricts the ambient air flow, thereby creating an area in which the ambient air flow is mostly stagnant. Thus, the "ambient" air immediately adjacent to the air inlet of such an enclosure may actually be much warmer than the ambient air a foot or two away from such a semiconductor processing tool.

[0057] Therefore, this elevated temperature air may have a lower heat capacity than non-process facility ambient air, and accordingly may be less able to cool the electronic components. To compensate for this lower heat capacity, it may be necessary to operate the cooling fan at a higher fan speed, thereby pushing air through the housing at a higher rate. This may therefore reduce the life of the cooling fan, generate more noise and vibration, and consume more electrical power (to operate the fan).

[0058] The use of fans as a cooling solution in a housing used in a semiconductor processing device may also cause vibrations that may negatively affect the performance of such semiconductor processing equipment. For example, as previously described, it may be desirable to place electronic components for filtering electronic signals provided to the RF electrode close to the RF electrode, or as close to the RF electrode as possible. To this end, in some semiconductor processing systems, a housing containing electronic components for providing RF filtering functions may be mounted near a base that houses the RF electrode. For example, if the base of such a semiconductor processing tool is supported in a semiconductor processing chamber of such a semiconductor processing tool via a rod portion and the rod portion extends through the bottom of the semiconductor processing chamber and is connected to a vertical lifting mechanism to allow the rod portion and the base to move vertically up and down relative to the semiconductor processing chamber, then such a housing may be mounted to the rod portion so that the length of the cable from the electronic component for filtering to the RF electrode can be reduced, and the routing of such a cable does not change when the base is moved up and down relative to the semiconductor processing chamber. Therefore, the housing containing such electronic components can move up and down with the base and is also positioned relatively close to the base.

[0059] However, if fan-based cooling is used with a housing in such a configuration, the tight mechanical coupling between the stem / base and the housing may serve to more effectively propagate vibrations from the housing (e.g., generated by the fan) to the stem and base. Such vibrations, although low in amplitude, may still cause a wafer supported on the base to move relative to the base over time. Even a small amount of movement of the wafer relative to the base may potentially compromise the integrity of the wafer being processed, such as by causing an increase in defectivity. The risk of such vibrations to wafer yield will generally increase over time as the fan ages and begins to mechanically fail. For example, the bearings used in such cooling fans will eventually begin to degrade, resulting in an increase in the level of vibration. In addition, there is the possibility of other types of mechanical failures with such cooling fans that may not cause the fan to stop operating, but may significantly increase the amount of vibration output by the fan. For example, if a fan blade breaks off in whole or in part, the resulting loss of fan blade material may cause the fan blade to become unbalanced, resulting in increased vibration.

[0060] To address these issues, the inventors of the present invention have devised a cooling system in which one or more individual electronic components to be cooled may be interfaced with a cooling manifold that is configured to direct cooling fluid from one or more outlet ports so as to impinge (e.g., at a vertical or oblique angle) on a surface or surfaces of each of the electronic components to be cooled, or even flow in a co-planar or parallel manner over a surface or surfaces of each of the electronic components to be cooled. The cooling fluid is a pressurized gas, such as clean dry air, that may be provided via a relatively long, small diameter flow conduit (e.g., a flexible polyethylene tube or similar material) that may be easily routed within a housing and used to deliver the cooling fluid to a cooling manifold that may be positioned in close proximity to the electronic components to be cooled. The flow conduit may be fluidly connected to an internal channel within the cooling manifold, for example, via a corresponding inlet in the cooling manifold. The internal channel may then transport the cooling fluid to a corresponding outlet port or ports of the cooling manifold. By delivering the cooling fluid directly to the electronic components to be cooled, the amount of cooling fluid that must be delivered to the housing can be significantly reduced compared to the amount of cooling fluid that needs to be delivered to the housing using a fan-based cooling system. In addition, such cooling fluid can be supplied from, for example, a pressurized clean dry air (CDA) source (or other pressurized air source) that provides CDA to semiconductor processing tools located within a semiconductor processing facility. For clarity, CDA refers to air that has been filtered and then subjected to moisture removal treatment, such as by cooling the filtered air to a temperature of -40°C before pumping or directing the air to one or more CDA outlets located within the semiconductor processing facility, so as to freeze / condense out any moisture that may be present in the air. Because the cooling fluid provided via the flow conduit is pressurized and contained within a sealed system (flow conduit) until it is delivered to the cooling manifold, the housing does not need to have any fans for moving air through the housing. Therefore, the electronic components within the housing can be actively cooled without the use of any fans attached to the housing. This completely avoids the situation where vibrations caused by the operation and / or performance degradation of such a fan are transmitted into the housing and then propagated to the wafer via the pole and base, while still allowing the housing to be mounted on the pole so that it can be close to the RF electrode and move up and down with the base without causing the wiring (cabling) / electrical connection between the housing and the RF electrode to bend or change configuration to accommodate the movement of the base.

[0061] At the same time, because the delivery of the coolant fluid (e.g., CDA) can be targeted at the component level, only the components that require cooling can be actively cooled, rather than circulating cooling air through a larger volume that includes both the components that require active cooling and other components that may not require cooling. In addition, the cooling manifold can be constructed so that there are relatively small gaps between the cooling manifold and the electronic components for each cooling, thereby reducing the volume through which the coolant fluid must flow in order to effectively cool the electronic components being cooled. Therefore, the amount of coolant fluid that must flow into the housing can be significantly reduced compared to a fan-based system; this allows the cooling fluid to flow into the housing at a much lower rate than may be required using a fan-based cooling system, thereby significantly reducing noise. The cooling fluid in such a system may also be allowed to be discharged to the surrounding environment after being directed onto the electronic components to be cooled.

[0062] The use of cooling manifolds as discussed herein may also allow for a significant simplification of monitoring systems for the health of semiconductor processing tools. For example, a typical housing for heat generating electronic components (which may be used, for example, to condition electronic signals to be provided to RF electrodes) will typically feature multiple fans. For example, in some cases, such a housing may be subdivided into two compartments, each having two fan units (one for intake and one for exhaust). Thus, such a housing may have four fan units. If such a housing is used in a multi-station semiconductor processing tool (e.g., a tool having 8 or 10 stations), there may be 32 to 40 fan units. A semiconductor processing tool having such a housing may also include a monitoring system that tracks the operation of each fan unit in the housing so as to provide an alarm for any failure. In order to obtain a full picture of the operation of the fan units, such a system will typically need to monitor both the fan speed and the degree of fan vibration. Fan speed only allows detection of faults that may cause the fan to operate at a reduced speed or not rotate at all, but does not provide insight into faults that may not affect fan speed but will affect the vibration output of the fan unit, such as damaged fan blades or other sources of rotational imbalance that may cause the fan unit to experience undesirable vibrations. Similarly, vibration levels may provide insight into fan unit degradation that may cause increased vibration output, but do not provide insight into fan unit speed. Therefore, in order to obtain a complete picture of the operation of the fan unit in such a semiconductor processing tool, the tool's fan unit monitoring system may need to track data from 64 to 80 sensors (32 to 40 speed sensors and 32 to 40 accelerometers (for vibration measurement)).

[0063] If monitoring is even desired at all—using a cooling manifold as discussed herein allows for a simpler monitoring system to be used. As can be seen from the above discussion, monitoring systems for fan-based cooling systems focus on monitoring physical phenomena originating from the moving parts of the fan unit, such as the rotation of fan blades or vibrations caused by the rotation of fan blades. In a cooling system utilizing a cooling manifold as discussed herein, cooling is achieved without the need for moving parts located in or on a housing that houses the electronic components to be cooled. Therefore, it is virtually unnecessary to monitor the performance of a cooling manifold-based cooling system. However, it may still be desirable to monitor the performance of such a system, such as to detect when a particular cooling manifold feature may not be providing the desired degree of cooling. For example, if a blockage occurs within a flow conduit for providing cooling fluid to the cooling manifold, if a flow conduit for providing cooling fluid to the cooling manifold is bent or deformed, or if a flow conduit for providing cooling fluid to the cooling manifold is cut or unplugged, the cooling manifold may experience reduced or no cooling. However, all these types of faults can be detected at the inlet of the flow ducts to the cooling manifolds, for example by monitoring the pressure of the cooling fluid at the inlet of the flow ducts. In fan-based cooling systems, such monitoring must be performed at or near the location of the fan unit.

[0064] A common sensor may also be used to monitor a plurality of different cooling manifolds which are provided with cooling fluid via flow ducts supplied from a common plenum; this may allow the operating state of a plurality of cooling manifolds to be monitored simultaneously without the need for a separate sensor for each cooling manifold.

[0065] The cooling manifold described above is discussed in greater detail below with reference to a number of different exemplary embodiments.

[0066] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an exemplary apparatus 100 is depicted, such as a semiconductor processing tool, which includes a semiconductor processing chamber 102 that can be used to process a semiconductor wafer 112. The semiconductor wafer 112 can be supported within the semiconductor processing chamber 102 via a pedestal 106, which is supported by a stem 108. The stem 108 can be connected to a vertical lift actuator 110, which can be configured to raise and lower the stem 108, the pedestal 106, and the semiconductor wafer 112 relative to the semiconductor processing chamber RR02. The pedestal 106 can be positioned below a showerhead 104 of the semiconductor processing chamber 102 and configured to distribute one or more processing gases across the semiconductor wafer 112.

[0067] In some examples, the apparatus 100 can be configured to facilitate the ignition and maintenance of a plasma in a space between the pedestal 106 and the showerhead 104. For example, the pedestal 106 can include an RF electrode (not shown, but can be, for example, a circular, flat layer of metallic material embedded in a ceramic body of the pedestal 106) that is provided with electrical power that is delivered through a circuit located within the housing 114 before being delivered to the RF electrode. As described above, the housing can be fixed to or otherwise fixed relative to the shaft 108 such that when the shaft 108 is moved up and down, the housing 114 and the components therein can also move up and down.

[0068] The housing 114 may house various electronic components 118a / 118b / 118c (although three such electronic components 118 are shown, there may be more or fewer such electronic components) that may generate a large amount of heat and therefore may require cooling. Each of the electronic components 118a / 118b / 118c may interface with a corresponding cooling manifold 132a / 132b / 132c. As shown, the electronic components 118a and 118b are each at least partially housed within a corresponding cooling manifold 132a and 132b, respectively, while the cooling manifold 132c is actually inserted into the electronic component 118c. A plurality of flow conduits 136 may direct cooling fluid to each of the cooling manifolds 132. The flow conduit 136 may be provided with cooling fluid via connection to a cooling fluid source (e.g., a CDA supply 142, which may be provided as part of a semiconductor processing facility), in a manner similar to how such a facility may provide infrastructure for distributing electrical power, water, purge gases, or other generally common “utilities” to different semiconductor processing tools.

[0069] The cooling manifold 132 may be designed to have one or more surfaces that are positioned within a first minimum distance of a portion of the electronic component 118 to be cooled when the cooling manifold 132 is docked with the electronic component 118 to be cooled. Such a surface may, for example, have a shape that is substantially the same as the surface of the electronic component to be cooled, but may be offset outwardly from the surface of the electronic component (or inwardly for the internal surface of the electronic component to be cooled) so that a small gap exists between the surface of the electronic component and the surface of the cooling manifold. In some cases, the size of the gap may be approximately several millimeters, such as 3 mm, or less, such as 2 mm or less, 1 mm or less, 0.5 mm or less. In some cases, the size of the gap may be greater than the positioning and / or dimensional tolerance of the electronic component being cooler. In some instances, such a gap may exist over at least 40% of the external surface area of ​​the electronic component facing outward or inward. In some cases, the gap may exist throughout at least 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, or 100% of the exterior surface area of ​​the electronic component.

[0070] Figure 2 An example of a cooling manifold design according to the present disclosure is depicted. Figure 3 Depicts an exploded view of Figure 2 Example. Figure 2 and Figure 3 , an electronic component 218 is shown mounted on a substrate 216 and covered by a hood-like cooling manifold 232. In this example, the electronic component 218 is an air core inductor 220. The inductor 220 includes a coil portion 222 made of a conductive material (e.g., a copper wire) that is wound into a spiral shape around a central axis 224. The coil portion 222 may have a coil end section 221 that extends downward into a hole in the substrate 216, thereby allowing the inductor 220 to be mechanically or electrically (e.g., via soldering) joined to electrical traces in the substrate 216.

[0071] It can be seen that the inductor 220 / electronic component 218 has the approximate shape of a cylindrical tube. Accordingly, the cooling manifold 232 has an inner surface (not visible here, but see subsequent figures, such as Figures 5 to 9), the inner surface is semi-cylindrical and has a radius slightly larger than the coil radius 223 of the coil portion 222. The coil radius 223 may, for example, correspond to the radius of a reference cylinder used to confine the coil portion 222. At the same time, the cooling manifold 232 is sized to allow the cooling manifold 232 to be placed on the electronic component 218 / inductor 220 so that the electronic component 218 / inductor 220 is covered by the cooling manifold 232. In some cases, the cooling manifold 232 may be sized to be placed on the substrate 216 so that the substrate bears most of the load supporting the cooling manifold 232. However, in other embodiments, the cooling manifold 232 may be placed on the electronic component 218 to be cooled.

[0072] In this case, the cooling manifold 232 has an inlet 240 that can be configured to connect to a flow conduit (not shown) via a fitting (e.g., a push-to-connect fitting or other suitable fluid connector). The inlet 240 can be fluidly connected to the internal passage 238 (for clarity, Figure 2 and 3 The symbol 240 in FIG. 1 points to a portion of the exterior of the cooling manifold in which the internal passage 238 is disposed, rather than to the internal passage itself).

[0073] Figure 4 Depicted Figure 2 and Figure 3 A top view of an exemplary device, wherein hatching is added to indicate Figure 5 and 6 The cross-section plane is shown. Figure 7 Depicts the Figure 6 The cross section line Figure 4 21 is an isometric view of a cooling manifold without the base plate 216 or electronic components 218 being visible.

[0074] If available Figures 4 to 7 As seen in the middle view, the cooling manifold 232 is designed to be placed over the electronic component 218 / inductor 220 such that the electronic component 218 / inductor 220 is substantially completely enclosed within the volume bounded by the cooling manifold 232 and the substrate 216. For example, the cooling manifold 232 may have an opening 244 that leads to a blind cavity 246, such as a cavity that is open to the surrounding environment through the opening 244 but is generally isolated from the surrounding environment and is sized to accommodate the electronic component 218 / inductor 220 when the electronic component 218 / inductor 220 is inserted through the opening 244.

[0075] The blind cavity 246 of the cooling manifold 232 is generally U-shaped, characterized by an arched or curved bottom surface having an arched or curved cross-sectional profile and in which the outlet port 234 is disposed, and two side surfaces that are generally tangential to the arched bottom surface. The arched bottom surface may have a radius that is slightly larger than the coil radius 223 of the coil portion 222 of the electronic component 218 / inductor 220, such as a radius that is less than 3 mm (i.e., less than or equal to 3 mm, such as between about 0.25 mm and 2.5 mm, or between 1 mm and 2 mm) larger than the coil radius. Such a radius difference may result in a correspondingly sized gap region between the cooling manifold and the component to be cooled; such a gap region may be optimally sized to provide enhanced cooling, while being large enough to allow the cooling manifold to be reliably mounted with expected variations in component size and location. This allows the circular coil portion 222 of the electronic component 218 / inductor 220 to be inserted through the opening 244 and positioned within the cooling manifold 232 so that the outer surface of the upper half of the electronic component 218 / inductor 220 is located within a small distance (e.g., about one or several millimeters, such as 2.5 mm or 3 mm or less) of the surface of the cooling manifold 232 to which it is closest (in this case, the arcuate bottom surface). This results in the formation of a gap region 239 that extends over a majority of the outwardly facing exterior surface of the electronic component 218 / inductor 220. For example, the electronic component 218 / inductor 220 generally has a cylindrical outwardly facing surface defined by the coil portion 222 (the coil end sections 221, or any leads or wires used to connect the electronic component to be cooled to other electronic components but not intended to provide functionality associated with the electronic component, will not be considered to contribute to the "external surface" of the electronic component in question). The gap region 239 extends over at least half of the outwardly facing exterior surface, such as at least 40% of the outwardly facing exterior surface area of ​​the electronic component 218 / inductor 220 .

[0076] The cooling manifold 232 and / or the substrate 216 may also have one or more drain openings 245 that may be arranged such that the electronic component 218 / inductor 220 is interposed between the drain openings 245 and the outlet port 234. It can be seen that the outlet port 234 is arranged to direct a cooling fluid, such as CDA, directly into the gap region 239 so that the cooling fluid directly impinges on the exterior surface of the electronic component 218 / inductor 220 and then flows through the gap region 239 (and over one or more exterior surfaces of the electronic component 218 / inductor 220) before exiting through the one or more drain openings 245. It should be understood that while the drain openings 245 take the form of slits defined by the substrate 216 and by portions of the bottom edge of the cooling manifold 232 that are recessed from the remainder of the bottom edge of the cooling manifold 232 in a direction perpendicular to the substrate 216, other implementations may have alternative drain opening configurations. For example, some implementations may utilize a series of holes in place of the elongated slits or openings. Other embodiments may place such features entirely within the cooling manifold 232 (eg, in a sidewall thereof) or entirely within the base plate 216 .

[0077] As described above, the cooling manifold 232 may include one or more outlet ports 234 that may be configured to direct cooling fluid from the cooling manifold 232 so that the cooling fluid impinges on a surface or surfaces of the electronic component 218 / inductor 220. The depicted exemplary cooling manifold 232 features a plurality of outlet ports 234 (e.g., three) that are arranged at different normal distances from a reference plane that is perpendicular to the central axis 224. In this particular example, the outlet ports 234 are arranged in a linear array, such as along an interior of the cooling manifold (e.g., along a bottom surface of the blind cavity 246) at locations spaced along corresponding axes that are substantially parallel to the central axis 224 of the electronic component 218 / inductor 220. Depending on the length of the electronic component 218 / inductor 220, more or fewer outlet ports 234 may be used, such as one outlet port 234, two outlet ports 234, or more than three outlet ports 234. Where there are more than two outlet ports 234 , it may be desirable to direct the flow through the gap region 239 in a particular manner, for example to promote a more uniform flow of the cooling fluid.

[0078] As described above and as is apparent from the figures, the cooling manifold 232 has an interior surface that is generally conformal to the exterior contour of at least a portion of the electronic component 218 / inductor 220 in the gap region 239. However, there may be certain deviations from this conformality, such as where the gap in the gap region 239 changes or even disappears entirely, which may be provided to facilitate a desired flow path for the cooling fluid.

[0079] For example, in the cooling manifold 232, the bottom surface of the blind cavity 246 is characterized by rib walls 252, each of which is between adjacent pairs of outlet ports 234, such as in the middle of the pair of outlet ports (or between two groups of outlet ports 234). In this example, the rib walls are generally arched walls that extend upward from the bottom surface of the blind cavity 246 at least at its highest point by a distance that is approximately the same as the thickness of the gap region at the location of the rib walls 252. Therefore, when the cooling manifold 232 is placed over the electronic component 218 / inductor 220 to form the gap region 239, the rib walls 252 may contact or nearly contact the electronic component 218 / inductor 220, thereby forming an obstruction to the flow of fluid in the axial direction near the rib walls 252. This configuration can help manage the flow of cooling fluid from each outlet port 234 through the gap region 239 to maintain a more even distribution of the cooling fluid flow.

[0080] The cooling manifold 232 also features end surfaces 250 that are each dimensioned so as to contact, or at least significantly reduce, the gap between the cooling manifold 232 and the electronic component 218 / inductor 220. The end surface 250 may, for example, be an arcuate surface that conforms to the electronic component 218 / inductor 220 but is dimensioned to have a radius that is smaller than the radius of the remainder of the bottom surface of the blind cavity 246. Such an end surface 250 may be used to block or at least obstruct the flow of cooling fluid in an axial direction relative to the central axis 224, thereby reducing the risk that cooling fluid (particularly cooling fluid from the endmost outlet port 234) will overflow the end of the electronic component 218 / inductor 220 and enter its internal cavity without passing through the gap region (which may result in reduced cooling efficiency of the electronic component 218 / inductor 220).

[0081] In certain embodiments, the cooling manifold 232 may be composed of multiple pieces to help provide a clearance region that extends over a larger portion of the outwardly facing exterior surface of the electronic component 218 / inductor 220 . Figure 8 and 9 A cross-section of a variation of the cooling manifold 232 is depicted (similar to Figure 5 and 6 ), wherein there are three parts 233a, 233b, and 233c. Part 233a is similar to Figure 5 and 6239a and includes an internal passage 238a and an outlet port 234a that directs cooling fluid into a gap region 239a. Portion 233b has an internal surface that mimics the internal surface of portion 233a, but faces in the opposite direction. For example, portion 233b may have a semicircular groove therein that is sized to accommodate the electronic component 218 / inductor 220 while still retaining a gap region 239 between the electronic component 218 / inductor 220 and portion 233b. For example, portion 233b may have a through slot along its length and at the bottom of the groove that may be aligned with a corresponding slot in substrate 216 to provide a discharge opening 245a. In some cases, portion 233b may actually be a two-piece component that is, for example, split axially down the middle so that each half can be slid in a direction parallel to substrate 216 and positioned underneath electronic component 218 / inductor 220, thereby allowing portion 233b to be installed after electronic component 218 / inductor 220 has been connected to substrate 216. It can be seen that this configuration has the effect of extending gap region 239 around nearly the entire perimeter of coil portion 222 of electronic component 218 / inductor 220. This can expand the cooling capacity of cooling manifold 232 to cool both the top and bottom of electronic component 218 / inductor 220 with substantially similar effectiveness.

[0082] The portion 233c in this example is a solid (or tubular) insert that is sized to be inserted within the electronic component 218 / inductor 220. The portion 233c may be sized to be slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the electronic component 218 / inductor 220, thereby allowing a second gap region 239b to be formed between the inwardly facing exterior surface of the electronic component 218 / inductor 220 and the portion 233c. The portion 233c may also be provided with an internal passage 238b that provides cooling fluid to one or more outlet ports 234b that direct the cooling fluid onto the inwardly facing surface of the electronic component 218 / inductor 220. The cooling fluid may then flow through the additional gap region 239b toward the substrate 216. Because the structure of the electronic component 218 / inductor 220 may block the cooling fluid from flowing toward the drain opening 245a, the portion 233b may be provided with features that form additional drain openings 245b in the opposite end of the cooling manifold 232 to allow the cooling fluid to escape the cooling manifold 232 in a direction parallel to the central axis 224.

[0083] It should be appreciated that a cooling manifold such as cooling manifold 232 may be provided via a single piece design or a multi-piece design, and with or without internal cooling portions, such as portion 233c.

[0084] It should be further understood that while the inductor 220 used in the above example features a coil portion in which the inductor wire is helically wound with a pitch equal to the diameter of the inductor wire such that each winding of the inductor wire is in contact with an adjacent winding or multiple adjacent windings of the inductor wire (thereby effectively forming a solid-wall tube)), similar cooling manifolds may be used with inductors in which the windings are wound with a pitch greater than the diameter of the inductor wire such that axial gaps exist between adjacent windings of the inductor wire, thereby allowing radial flow through the inductor wire.

[0085] Other electronic components that may require cooling may have a different form factor than electronic components 218 / inductors 220. For example, certain electronic components may have a packaging envelope that is a prismatic solid or a tapered prismatic solid; such electronic components may be mounted to a substrate, such as via soldering, and then covered with a cooling manifold having one or more recesses on the bottom side or recessed on the bottom side, the one or more recesses being positioned and sized to each accommodate one or more of the electronic components when the cooling manifold is placed against the substrate.

[0086] Fig.10 and 11 Depicted are an isometric view and an exploded isometric view, respectively, of an exemplary apparatus featuring surface-mount electronic components and a cooling manifold for directing cooling fluid to such components.

[0087] As in Fig.10 and 11 10, a substrate 1016 is provided and a plurality of electronic components 1018 have been mounted thereto. In this example, the electronic components 1018 are surface mounted capacitors 1028 and terminal lugs or plugs 1030. The terminal lugs or plugs 1030 may be, for example, threaded or non-threaded plugs (external or internal) designed to allow high voltage electrical connections to be made.

[0088] exist Fig.10 and 11 Also visible in the figure is a cooling manifold 1032. The cooling manifold 1032 has two distinct portions 1033a and 1033b, which are shown as a single, unitary part, but it should be understood that either portion can be configured as a separate independent cooling manifold.

[0089] The footprint of the first portion 1033a of the cooling manifold 1032 is generally rectangular and is designed to cover surface mount electronic components such as capacitor 1028. Of course, if the surface mount components to be cooled are arranged in a manner other than as shown (e.g., in a straight line), the footprint of the portion can be adjusted to match. In general, the footprint of such a cooling manifold can completely surround the various electronic components to be cooled and can be sized large enough so that a gap exists between the outer perimeter of the portion of the cooling manifold and the electronic components to be cooled.

[0090] The second portion 1033b of the cooling manifold 1032 contains a system of branch channels, each of which leads to a different collar element 1035. The purpose of the collar element 1035 in this example is to surround the terminal lug or plug 1030, but not necessarily cover it. The cooling fluid can be directed to the collar element 1035 via the branch channels.

[0091] When the cooling manifold 1032 is docked with the electronic components 1018 / capacitors 1028 or the terminal lugs or pegs 1030 , the bottom of the cooling manifold 1032 may be pressed against the substrate 1016 to enclose the capacitors 1028 between the substrate 1016 and the cooling manifold 1032 .

[0092] Fig.12 and 13 They are Fig.10 and 11 A top view and a side view of a device for the following discussion are shown. Fig.14 , 15 , and the hatching line of 16.

[0093] Fig.14 shows a cross-section through the first portion 1033a of the cooling manifold 1032 along its long axis, and Fig.15 A cross-section through the first portion 1033a of the cooling manifold 1032 along its transverse axis is shown. Fig.16 A cross-sectional view of the cooling manifold 1032 is depicted that lies in a plane that is parallel to and slightly offset from the base plate 1016 .

[0094] Available in Fig.14 and 15As seen in FIG. 1 , the first portion 1033a of the cooling manifold 1032 has a series of openings (not labeled) that each lead into a blind cavity 1046. The blind cavities 1046 are each positioned in alignment with one of the capacitors 1028 so that each capacitor 1028 is received by the corresponding blind cavity 1046 when the first portion 1033a of the cooling manifold 1032 is placed over the capacitors 1028. Each blind cavity 1046 is sized so that a clearance region 1039a exists between one or more surfaces thereof and one or more exterior surfaces of the capacitor 1028 (or any other electronic component to be received in the blind cavity 1046) received therein. Each clearance region 1039a in this example extends over five sides of the corresponding capacitor 1028. As shown, the thickness of gap region 1039a may vary due to factors such as variations in the size of capacitors 1028 and variations in the position of capacitors 1028 relative to each other and substrate 1016 due to the accuracy with which capacitors 1028 are positioned when soldered in place on substrate 1016. However, the size of gap region 1039a may generally be small, such as similar to the sizes described above.

[0095] It can be generally observed that each blind cavity 1046 has a shape that is generally conformal to the shape of the electronic component housed therein but offset outwardly. This offset defines a gap region 1039a that is provided within the blind cavity 1046 to facilitate the flow of cooling fluid.

[0096] In the depicted example, each blind cavity 1046 is provided with cooling fluid by a set of four outlet ports 1034 arranged in a circular array or a rectangular array to evenly distribute the cooling fluid throughout the electronic component 1018 being cooled (in Fig.14 In the figure, position 1034' represents antechambers, each of which leads to a Fig.141034). Fewer or more outlet ports 1034 may be provided for each blind cavity 1046, depending, of course, on the desired fluid flow rate and / or the size of the outlet ports. Generally, these outlet ports may be sized so as to have a cross-sectional area that is at least 1 / 10 of the cross-sectional area of ​​the internal passage to which the cooling fluid is supplied, to help maintain adequate back pressure and relatively equal distribution of the cooling fluid to each outlet port 1034. Alternatively, an equivalent flow restriction may be placed in the internal passage itself, as shown by a flow restrictor 1037, which is disposed in the internal passage 1038 so as to fluidically interpose the outlet port 1034 with a collar element 1035 for cooling the terminal lug or plug 1030. The cooling fluid provided by the outlet port 1034 may flow out of the cooling manifold 1032 via the exhaust opening 1045a after flowing through the gap region 1039a. For example, the exhaust opening 1045a may be similar to the exhaust opening 245 discussed previously, which is provided, for example, by a hole or slit in the substrate 1016 and / or the cooling manifold 1032, or as Fig.15 As shown, this is provided by providing a recess in the bottom edge of the cooling manifold 1032 , so that when the cooling manifold 1032 is placed against the substrate 1016 , a slit-like gap is created between the bottom edge of the cooling manifold 1032 and the substrate 1016 .

[0097] As described above, the collar elements 1035 can be arranged so that each collar element 1035 surrounds a different terminal lug or plug 1030. For example, each collar element 1035 designed to surround can each have an inner diameter that is larger than the diameter of the corresponding terminal lug or plug 1030, thereby creating an annular gap area 1039b around the terminal lug or plug 1030 through which a cooling fluid can flow in order to cool the terminal lug or plug 1030. The base plate 1016 can be used to cover one end of the gap area 1039b and force the cooling fluid to flow around the periphery of the terminal lug or plug 1030. The other end of the gap area 1039b can be covered by a flange or shoulder portion of the collar element 1035, and where the gap area 1039b exists, these flanges or shoulders extend radially inward to a diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the collar element 1035. Thus, the flange or shoulder portion of the collar element acts in a manner similar to a base plate, which impedes the axial flow of cooling fluid and forces the cooling fluid to flow in a circumferential manner around the terminal lug or plug 1030. The gap region 1039b of each collar element 1035 can be fluidly connected with the corresponding internal passage 1038, such as via an opening (which can serve as an outlet port) in the surface of the collar element 1035 that defines the outer boundary of the gap region 1039b, so that the cooling fluid from the internal passage 1038 can be delivered to the gap region 1039b.

[0098] For example, the flange or shoulder portion may have a notch or gap at a location generally opposite where the internal passage 1038 and the gap region 1039b are fluidly connected. Thus, such a gap or notch may serve as a drain opening 1045b to allow cooling fluid flowing around the terminal lug or plug 1030 to exit the collar member 1035, thereby maintaining a constant flow of cooling fluid through the terminal lug or plug 1030.

[0099] In the above examples, the cooling manifold has been designed so that the electronic component to be cooled can be inserted into a blind cavity of the cooling manifold, which has one or more outlet ports for directing the flow of cooling fluid onto a surface or surfaces of the electronic component. When such a cooling manifold is placed against a substrate to which such an electronic component is attached, the electronic component in question is effectively completely enclosed within a chamber defined by the substrate and the cooling manifold, with only restricted openings present, such as the outlet ports for providing cooling fluid to the chamber and the exhaust openings for exhausting the cooling fluid from the chamber.

[0100] However, as previously Figure 1 As mentioned above, certain cooling manifolds may be designed to be inserted into the electronic components to be cooled. Figure 8 and 9Embodiments of actually feature such a cooling manifold, but are depicted as portions of a cooling manifold designed to completely surround the electronic components to be cooled.

[0101] Fig.17 An example of an electronic component, such as a toroidal inductor, is depicted where a cooling manifold is designed to be inserted into the electronic component. Fig.18 Describe the decomposed state Fig.17 An exemplary device of . Fig.19 Depicted Fig.17 A top view of an exemplary device, wherein the hatching indicates Fig. 20 and 21 's cross-sectional plane. Fig. 20 Depicts the Fig.19 The cross section line 20 Fig.17 A cross-sectional view of an exemplary device, and Fig.21 Depicts the Fig.19 The hatching line 21 Fig.17 A cross-sectional view of an exemplary device.

[0102] Available in Figures 17 to 21 As seen in the middle, the device 1700 is shown to include an electronic component 1718, such as a toroidal solid core inductor 1726, which may be characterized by a tubular or toroidal core 1727 made of, for example, a ferrous material. The coil portion 1722 of the toroidal inductor 1726 may be provided by winding a conductor, such as a copper wire, around the toroidal core so that the wire forms an inductor coil along a circular path defined by the toroidal core 1727. Thus, the toroidal inductor 1726 may have an overall shape of a tube or ring, with a cylindrical open space located in the middle.

[0103] Available in Fig.18 As seen in the middle view, a cooling manifold 1732 is provided that is sized and shaped so as to be at least partially inserted into the center of the toroidal inductor 1726. For example, a portion of the cooling manifold 1732 is cylindrical in nature and has a diameter that is slightly smaller than the smallest inner diameter of the toroidal inductor 1726. This allows the cylindrical portion of the cooling manifold 1732 to be inserted into the cylindrical open space of the toroidal inductor 1726.

[0104] exist Fig. 20 and 21, the cooling manifold 1732 may have an internal passage 1738a that expands into a larger antechamber-like internal passage 1738b within the cooling manifold 1732 before passing through a flow restrictor 1737 and then being distributed among outlet ports 1734. The outlet ports 1734 may be positioned in a circular array around the central axis of the toroidal inductor 1726 so as to direct the cooling fluid from the internal passage 1738b into an annular gap region 1739 located between the cooling manifold 1732 and the coil portion 1722 of the toroidal inductor 1726.

[0105] If desired, one end of the toroidal inductor 1726 may be covered by a cover structure 1758 or a similar end structure (e.g., an end plate) that may be used to prevent or impede fluid from flowing out of the interior region of the toroidal inductor 1726 in a direction along the central axis 1724 of the toroidal inductor 1726. The cover structure 1758 in this example is coupled to the cooling manifold 1732 via a threaded fastener 1760 and a washer 1762; the threaded fastener 1760 may be inserted through the washer 1762 and the cover structure 1758 and screwed into a threaded hole in the end of the cooling manifold 1732. In some cases, a sealant, such as silicone or other flowable gap filler / adhesive, may be flowed into the space between the toroidal core 1727 and the cover structure 1758 to fill the gaps between the windings of the coil portion 1722 in the space, thereby more effectively sealing it.

[0106] As will be apparent from the above examples, a cooling manifold embodying the concepts discussed herein may be designed to have at least a portion that is substantially conformal to a portion of an electronic component to be cooled—it is sized to fit on or within such an electronic component such that one or more surfaces of the electronic component are within a minimum distance of a surface or surfaces of the cooling manifold that is closest thereto (but not in contact with each other), thereby forming one or more gap regions between the electronic component being cooled and the cooling manifold providing cooling. Such gap regions may be quite small and may be used to force air to flow around the electronic component (or at least the portion thereof over which the gap region exists) such that all or substantially all of the air flowing through the gap region is effective in providing cooling to the electronic component to be cooled (whereas typically only a portion of the air flowing through a housing using fan-based cooling is effective in providing cooling). Such cooling manifolds may each be provided with a cooling fluid such as a CDA via a flexible flow conduit, a rigid flow conduit, or a combination of flexible and rigid flow conduits. This allows for targeted direct impingement cooling of selected electrical components, greatly improving cooling efficiency, reducing system noise, and simplifying cooling system monitoring compared to fan-based cooling systems.

[0107] Fig. 22 A schematic diagram of an exemplary cooling control system using the concepts discussed herein is depicted. Fig. 22 As shown, a plurality of housings 2254 are depicted. Each housing houses a plurality of electronic components to be cooled, such as electronic components 2218a / 2218b / 2218c. Each housing also houses a plurality of cooling manifolds 2232, such as cooling manifolds 2232a / 2232b / 2232c, each of which is fluidly connected to a housing manifold 2270 through a separate flow conduit (e.g., a section of flexible and / or rigid tubing). Each housing manifold 2270 is fluidly connected to a corresponding pressure sensor 2272. The housing manifolds 2270 are also fluidly connected to a distribution manifold 2268 disposed in a cooling control system 2276. A cooling fluid, such as CDA, may be provided to the cooling control system 2276 from a CDA source 2242 (e.g., a facility CDA source). The cooling fluid may flow through a pressure regulator 2264 to regulate the maximum downstream pressure of the cooling fluid, and then flow through a valve 2265 that may be used to turn on / off the coolant flow. The cooling fluid may then flow through a flow meter to monitor the amount of cooling fluid flowing before being provided to a distribution manifold 2268, which may then distribute the cooling fluid to the different housings 2254. Alternatively, other types of flow rate sensors may be used along with or in place of such a flow meter, such as a pressure sensor that obtains pressure measurements at two different locations along a venturi tube (e.g., at a first port disposed at the smallest diameter of the venturi tube and at a second port disposed upstream of the first port and at the largest diameter of the venturi tube).

[0108] The cooling control system may also include a multi-channel pressure monitoring system 2274 that may be communicatively coupled to the pressure sensor 2272, thereby allowing pressure data from the pressure sensor 2272 to be monitored over time. As previously described, if the pressure measured at a particular housing manifold 2270 changes relative to a predetermined baseline or steady-state level, this may indicate a fault condition that the cooling control system 2276 may flag via a notification or alarm. For example, if the pressure in a housing manifold 2270 begins to increase, this may indicate a blockage in one or more of the cooling manifolds 2232 (or flow conduits leading thereto) within the associated housing 2254. Similarly, if the pressure in the housing manifold 2270 begins to decrease, this may indicate that the flow conduit has become loose, broken, or has been severed, and the cooling control system may likewise send a notification or alarm indicating a potential fault condition.

[0109] The cooling manifolds discussed herein may be made of any suitable material, but non-conductive materials (e.g., polymers) may be more suitable to avoid the risk of electrical short circuits. In particular, in some cases, such cooling manifolds may be made of high temperature plastics, such as plastics that are flame retardant and resistant to temperatures of at least 100° C. If desired, such manifolds may be manufactured using additive manufacturing techniques (e.g., 3D printing).

[0110] As described above, the control system (e.g., Fig. 22 For example, such a cooling control system may be communicatively linked to, or even be part of, a larger controller or control system, for example, to control one or more semiconductor processing tools and / or chambers having a cooling system.

[0111] The systems discussed above may be integrated with electronic components for controlling their operation before and after semiconductor wafer or substrate processing. The electronic components may be referred to as "controllers" that may control various components or sub-portions of the one or more systems. Depending on the processing requirements and / or system type, the controller may be programmed to control any of the systems disclosed herein, including controlling: the operation of various valves (which may control the flow of cooling fluids), the operation of other valves and / or pumps (which may control gas evacuation for vacuuming), the operation of heater elements within the pedestal assembly, the operation of various valves that may control the flow of process gases, the operation of a vertical lift mechanism for moving the pedestal assembly and / or showerhead and / or lift pins up and down, the operation of an electrostatic chuck or clamping electrode, or various other components that may be included in a cooling system as described herein or may be provided in association with such a cooling system.

[0112] Broadly speaking, a controller can be defined as an electronic device having various integrated circuits, logic, memory, and / or software that receive instructions, issue instructions, control operations, enable cleaning operations, enable endpoint measurements, etc. The integrated circuits can include chips in the form of firmware that store program instructions, digital signal processors (DSPs), chips defined as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and / or one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers that execute program instructions (e.g., software). The program instructions can be instructions sent to the controller in the form of various individual settings (or program files) that define operating parameters for implementing specific operations using the cooling system described herein.

[0113] In some implementations, the controller may be part of or coupled to a computer that is integrated with the system, coupled to the system, otherwise networked to the system, or a combination thereof. For example, the controller may be in the "cloud" or all or part of a wafer fab host system that may allow remote access to wafer processing. The computer may enable remote access to the system to monitor the current progress of a manufacturing operation, check the history of past manufacturing operations, check trends or performance criteria for multiple manufacturing operations, change parameters of a current process, set processing steps to follow the current process, or start a new process. In some examples, a remote computer (e.g., a server) may provide a process recipe to the system via a network (which may include a local network or the Internet). The remote computer may include a user interface that enables input or programming of parameters and / or settings, which are then sent from the remote computer to the system. In some examples, the controller receives instructions in the form of data that specify parameters for each processing step to be performed during one or more operations. It should be understood that the parameters may be specific to the type of process to be performed and the type of tool that the controller is configured to interface with or control. Thus, as described above, the controller may be distributed, for example, by including one or more discrete controllers networked together and working toward a common purpose (e.g., the processes and controls described herein). An example of a controller distributed for such a purpose may be one or more integrated circuits (e.g., an integrated circuit that is part of a pressure sensor system) in a housing housing the component to be cooled, which communicates with one or more integrated circuits in a remote setting (e.g., at a platform level or as part of a remote computer) to jointly monitor the operation of the cooling system described herein.

[0114] The cooling system described herein may be connected to, but is not limited to, one or more other equipment, including a plasma etching chamber or module, a deposition chamber or module, a spin rinse chamber or module, a metal plating chamber or module, a cleaning chamber or module, a chamfer edge etching chamber or module, a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber or module, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber or module, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) chamber or module, an atomic layer etching (ALE) chamber or module, an ion implantation chamber or module, a track chamber or module, or any other semiconductor processing system that may be associated with or used for the manufacture and / or preparation of semiconductor wafers.

[0115] As described above, depending on one or more processing steps to be performed by the tool, the controller can communicate with one or more other tool circuits or modules, other tool components, cluster tools, other tool interfaces, adjacent tools, neighboring tools, tools located throughout the factory, a host computer, another controller, or tools used in material transport of wafer containers (e.g., FOUPs) to and from tool locations and / or load ports in a semiconductor manufacturing facility.

[0116] For purposes of this disclosure, the term "fluidically connected" is used to refer to volumes, plenums, holes, etc., which can be connected to each other directly or through one or more intermediate components or volumes to form a fluid connection, similar to the term "electrically connected" used to refer to components that are connected together to form an electrical connection. The term "fluid interposition" (if used) can be used to refer to a component, volume, plenum, or hole that is fluidly connected to at least two other components, volumes, plenums, or holes, so that fluid flowing from one of those other components, volumes, plenums, or holes to the other or another of those components, volumes, plenums, or holes will first flow through the "fluid interposition" component and then reach the other or another of those components, volumes, plenums, or holes. For example, if a pump is fluidly interposed between a reservoir and an outlet, fluid flowing from the reservoir to the outlet will first flow through the pump and then reach the outlet. The term "fluidically adjacent", if used, refers to the placement of one fluid element relative to another fluid element such that no possible structure is fluidly interposed between the two elements that could interrupt fluid flow between the two fluid elements. For example, in a flow path having a first valve, a second valve, and a third valve sequentially positioned there along, the first valve is fluidly adjacent to the second valve, the second valve is fluidly adjacent to both the first and third valves, and the third valve is fluidly adjacent to the second valve.

[0117] Any ordinal numbers (if any) used in the present disclosure and claims, such as (a), (b), (c) ... or (1), (2), (3) ... or the like, should be understood as not expressing any particular order or sequence unless such order or sequence is explicitly indicated. For example, if there are three steps labeled (i), (ii), and (iii), it should be understood that the steps can be performed in any order (or even simultaneously, if there are no other restrictions), unless otherwise indicated. For example, if step (ii) involves the operation of an element produced in step (i), step (ii) can be considered to occur at a point after step (i). Similarly, if step (i) involves the operation of an element produced in step (ii), it should be understood to be the opposite. It should also be understood that the use of the ordinal number "first" (e.g., "first item") in this document should not be interpreted as implicitly or inherently suggesting that there must be a "second" case (e.g., "second item"). It should also be understood that the use of an ordinal designation that generally follows a lower valued or lower ranked ordinal designation should not be understood to require the presence of similar elements having lower valued or lower ranked ordinal designations. For example, if a claim refers to a "second item" but does not refer to a "first item" in the claim (or its parent claim if it is a dependent claim), this should not be understood to mean that the claim also implicitly includes the "first item" within its scope.

[0118] It should be understood that the phrases "for each <item> in one or more <items>," "each <item> in one or more <items>," and the like, if used herein, include both single-item groups and multi-item groups, i.e., the phrase "for...each" is used in the sense that it is used in a programming language to refer to each item in any group of items referenced. For example, if the group of items referenced is a single item, then "each" will refer only to that single item (although dictionary definitions of "each" often define the term to mean "each of two or more things"), and does not mean that there must be at least two of those items. Similarly, the terms "set" or "subset" by themselves should not be taken to necessarily cover multiple items - it should be understood that a set or subset may cover only one member or multiple members (unless the context dictates otherwise).

[0119] Unless otherwise indicated, when the term "between" used in this article is used with a numerical range, it should be understood to include the starting and ending values ​​of the range. For example, between 1 and 5 should be understood to include numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, not just numbers 2, 3 and 4.

[0120] The term "operably connected" should be understood to refer to a state in which two components and / or systems are directly or indirectly connected so that, for example, at least one component or system can control the other. For example, a controller may be described as being operably connected to a resistive heating unit, including a controller connected to a sub-controller of the resistive heating unit, the sub-controller being electrically connected to a relay, the relay being configured to controllably connect or disconnect the resistive heating unit from a power source capable of providing an amount of electricity that can be supplied to the resistive heating unit to produce a desired degree of heating. Because of the electrical current involved, the controller itself may not be able to directly provide such power to the resistive heating unit, but it should be understood that the controller is still operably connected to the resistive heating unit.

[0121] It should be understood that the examples and implementations described herein are for illustrative purposes only, and that those skilled in the art will associate various modifications or variations therewith. Although various details have been omitted for clarity, various design alternatives may be implemented. Therefore, the present examples are considered to be illustrative rather than restrictive, and the present disclosure is not limited to the details set forth herein, but may be modified within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0122] It should be understood that although the above disclosure focuses on one or more specific exemplary implementations, it is not limited to the examples discussed, but is also applicable to similar variations and mechanisms, and such similar variations and mechanisms are also considered to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A device comprising: one or more electronic components; one or more flow conduits; and One or more cooling manifolds, wherein: each cooling manifold comprising one or more outlet ports, wherein each outlet port is arranged such that when the fluid flows out of the cooling manifold via the outlet port, the fluid impinges upon at least one surface of at least one of the electronic components, Each cooling manifold further comprises one or more internal passages, wherein each internal passage leads to one or more of the outlet ports of the cooling manifold, The one or more internal passages of each cooling manifold are fluidly connected to one or more inlets, Each flow conduit is fluidly connected to one of the one or more inlets, and The flow conduit is configured to contain the fluid.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the outlet ports is in fluid communication with ambient air surrounding the device.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein all of the outlet ports are in fluid communication with ambient air surrounding the device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more flow conduits are configured to be fluidly connected to a source of clean dry air.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more flow conduits are fluidly connected to a source of clean dry air.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more cooling manifolds include a first cooling manifold having a first opening to a corresponding first blind cavity, The first blind cavity is configured to enable corresponding one or more first electronic components of the one or more electronic components to be inserted therein, and The first blind cavity has a corresponding first bottom surface opposite to the corresponding first opening, and One or more first outlet ports of the one or more outlet ports are disposed on the first bottom surface.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein: The one or more first electronic components include a first inductor including a coil portion in which a conductor moves in a spiral manner around a central axis, The coil portion has a coil radius relative to the central axis, The first bottom surface has an arcuate cross-sectional profile having a first radius greater than a radius of the coil, and The first opening is sized to accommodate the coil portion. 8 . The device according to claim 7 , wherein the first blind cavity has at least one end surface, each end surface being arranged to be located on the coil portion and close to one end or the other end of the coil portion.

9. The device according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein: The one or more first outlet ports include at least two first outlet ports, and The at least two first outlet ports are each disposed at a different normal distance from a plane perpendicular to the central axis.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the at least two first outlet ports are disposed at spaced apart locations along a first axis parallel to the central axis. 11 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the first cooling manifold further comprises one or more rib walls, each rib wall being disposed on the first bottom surface and located between two of the first outlet ports disposed at spaced apart locations along the first axis.

12. The device according to claim 7 or claim 8, further comprising a first substrate, wherein: The first substrate has electrical traces electrically connected to the first inductor, and The first opening of the first cooling manifold is proximate to the first substrate.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the first radius is approximately 3 mm less than the coil radius.

14. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The one or more cooling manifolds include a second cooling manifold having one or more second openings, each second opening leading to a corresponding second blind cavity, Each second blind cavity is configured so that corresponding one or more second electronic components among the one or more electronic components can be inserted therein, Each second blind cavity has a corresponding second bottom surface opposite to the corresponding second opening, and One or more second outlet ports of the one or more outlet ports are disposed on the second bottom surface.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein each second blind cavity has a cross-section located on a plane parallel to the second bottom surface of the second blind cavity, the cross-section being larger than a total cross-sectional area of ​​the corresponding one or more second electronic components for the second blind cavity located on the plane. 16 . The device of claim 15 , wherein the second bottom surface of each second blind cavity is spaced apart from the corresponding one or more second electronic components in the second blind cavity by no more than a second amount in a direction perpendicular to the second bottom surface.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the second amount is 2.5 mm. 18 . The device of claim 15 , wherein each second blind cavity has one or more side surfaces that are spaced apart from the corresponding one or more second electronic components in the second blind cavity by no more than a third amount.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein: at least one second bottom surface has a plurality of second outlet ports disposed thereon, and The plurality of second outlet ports provided on the at least one second bottom surface are arranged in a rectangular array or a circular array.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein: the one or more electronic components include a third electronic component, the one or more cooling manifolds comprising a third cooling manifold, The third electronic component is a second inductor, the third electronic component surrounds at least a portion of the third cooling manifold, The one or more outlet ports include a plurality of third outlet ports, and The third outlet port is disposed along an outer periphery or circumference of the portion of the third cooling manifold surrounded by the third electronic component and is configured to direct fluid flowing out of the third cooling manifold via the third outlet port toward an inner surface of the second inductor.

21. The device of claim 20, further comprising a covering structure that prevents fluid from flowing out of an end region of the second inductor in a direction aligned with a central axis of the second inductor.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the third electronic component is a toroidal inductor.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein: The one or more electronic components include one or more terminal lugs or pegs, The one or more cooling manifolds include a fourth cooling manifold having one or more collar elements, each collar element having an opening through which a corresponding one of the terminal lugs or pegs extends, and Each collar element has a region in which an interior surface of the collar element is radially offset outward from the terminal lug or peg through which the terminal lug or peg extends, and the interior surface of the collar element has at least one of the one or more outlet ports disposed therein.

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