Cryogenic Thermal Isolation Using Submerged Insulators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cryogenic cooling methods, such as using a dewar, become impractical for large arrays of circuit boards due to increased size, weight, and power requirements, making it difficult to effectively cool superconducting materials in real-world applications.
Innovation Solution
A thermal isolation system using a substrate with a recess and submerged thermal insulators, combined with thermally-insulative electrical conductors and a dielectric layer, creates a dewar-like volume around individual or groups of components, allowing for efficient cooling without the need for external dewars, utilizing a distributed cryocooler architecture with micro-scale expanders driven by a macro-scale compressor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a dewar is used to cool circuit boards to cryogenic temperatures, then thermal isolation is improved, but size, weight, and power requirements increase dramatically
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the cooling system into modular units, with each circuit board or small group of boards having its own localized thermal isolation structure. Instead of one large dewar enclosing all boards, each board is segmented into its own thermally-isolated region with dedicated insulation and cooling resources, dramatically reducing overall system weight while maintaining cryogenic temperatures where needed.
2Temperature
If a dewar is used to cool circuit boards to cryogenic temperatures, then thermal isolation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into integrated structures: thermal insulation layers are merged with circuit board support structures, electrical conductors are integrated within the thermal isolation volume, and cooling channels are combined with the structural framework. This merging reduces the number of separate components and simplifies the overall system while maintaining effective thermal isolation.
3Reliability
If electrical conductors are used to connect components, then electrical signal transmission is enabled, but heat flow into the cryogenic assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces thermally-insulative electrical conductors as intermediaries that perform the dual function of electrical signal transmission and thermal isolation. These specialized conductors allow electrical connections to pass through the thermal isolation barrier while minimizing heat conduction, effectively mediating between the electrical connectivity requirement and the thermal isolation requirement.
4Productivity
If the number of circuit boards is increased to form large arrays, then system capability is improved, but the feasibility of using dewars for cooling decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables large arrays of circuit boards to be cooled by segmenting the cooling approach into many small, independent thermal isolation units. Each unit can be independently cooled with minimal resources, allowing the system to scale to large arrays without the exponential increase in size, weight, and complexity that would result from using a single large dewar for the entire array.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces size, weight, and power consumption while maintaining effective thermal isolation and cooling, enabling the use of cryogenic temperatures in a compact and efficient manner, suitable for large arrays of components.
Implementation Method 1
a first thermal insulator submerged in the recess of the substrate; a cover comprising a sidewall and a top portion, wherein the sidewall and the top portion comprise a second thermal insulator
Implementation Method 2
the one or more electrical conductors are thermally-insulative at cryogenic temperatures
Implementation Method 3
placing a circuit board in a vacuum enclosure called a dewar and then cooling the interior of the dewar to a cryogenic temperature. This approach helps to minimize external heat flow to the circuit board
Data Source
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AI summary
An apparatus (100) includes a substrate (104) having a recess (106) and a first insulator (108) submerged in the recess of the substrate. The apparatus also includes a cover (114) having a second insulator (116) that, together with the first insulator, defines an insulated volume. The apparatus further includes one or more components (102) to be cooled located over the first insulator and within the insulated volume. The apparatus could also include one or more electrical conductors (110) located over the first insulator, where at least one of the one or more components is electrically connected to the one or more electrical conductors. The one or more electrical conductors could be submerged in the recess of the substrate. The one or more electrical conductors could be thermally-insulative at cryogenic temperatures and could include carbon nanotubes. The first and second insulators could include foam or aerogel insulation.