CPU Heatsink Power Delivery Stack-Up for High-Current Packaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
As CPUs require higher supply currents at lower operating voltages and have increasing pin counts for power delivery, existing technologies face challenges in efficiently routing and delivering power and ground signals, leading to increased complexity and heat generation in CPU packages.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves a processor mounting stack-up that includes a heat sink, insulating collar, power delivery hat, conductive stack gasket, CPU, and printed circuit board (PCB), where the CPU's ground and power contacts are routed through a substrate to dedicated pads on the CPU, and then connected to the PCB via the stack-up components, ensuring efficient power and ground delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If the CPU pin count increases to meet higher power delivery requirements, then the power delivery capability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the CPU package into distinct functional layers: the CPU die with its substrate, a separate heatsink assembly with integrated power delivery components, and a motherboard interface. This segmentation allows the power delivery function to be handled by dedicated components (power delivery hat, conductive gasket) rather than increasing CPU pin count, thus improving power capability without proportionally increasing overall package complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The heatsink assembly is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: thermal management through heat dissipation, power delivery through the conductive gasket and power delivery hat, and mechanical support for the CPU. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated power delivery components, thereby improving power delivery capability without linearly increasing device complexity
2Power
If more power contacts are routed to the CPU substrate, then the power delivery capability is improved, but the heat generation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary power delivery path through the conductive gasket and power delivery hat that connects the motherboard power sources directly to the CPU substrate. This intermediary pathway distributes power closer to the CPU die, reducing current flow through long substrate traces and thereby minimizing I²R heating while maintaining high power delivery capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from planar power delivery through substrate traces to a three-dimensional power distribution architecture using stacked layers (conductive gasket, power delivery hat, substrate). This vertical dimensionality allows power to be delivered through multiple parallel pathways and closer to the heat source, reducing resistive heating while maintaining high power capability
Data Source
AI summary
A CPU includes a processor die and a substrate. The processor die includes first signal contacts, power contacts, and ground contacts. The processor die is affixed and electrically coupled to the substrate on a first surface of the substrate. The substrate routes the first signal contacts to associated second signal contacts on a second surface of the substrate. The substrate further routes a subset of the power contacts to a power pad on the first surface of the substrate, and routes a subset of the ground contacts to a ground pad on the first surface of the substrate.