Dual-Use Heat Spreader for IC Thermal Testing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional thermal solutions for integrated circuits used in testing and production boards differ significantly, making it difficult to correlate thermal parameters and often relying on guesswork to extend thermal testing data from test sockets to production boards.
Innovation Solution
A thermal management device with a heat spreader plate and mechanical connection structures that can mount on both circuit boards with and without sockets, enabling thermal contact with integrated circuit chips in both configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate thermal solutions are used for test sockets and production boards, then thermal management can be optimized for each specific application, but device complexity increases and thermal parameter correlation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal management device is designed with a universal heat spreader plate that can be mounted on both test sockets and production boards through adaptable mechanical connection structures. This single device performs multiple functions: it provides thermal contact with integrated circuit chips in both test and production environments, eliminating the need for separate thermal solutions and enabling direct correlation of thermal parameters across different applications.
2Ease of manufacture
If different thermal solutions are used for testing and production, then each can be optimized for its specific purpose, but the ability to correlate thermal parameters between the two environments deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By using the same heat spreader plate design with adaptable mechanical connections for both test and production applications, thermal data collected during testing can be directly correlated with production performance. The consistent thermal contact mechanism preserves thermal parameter information across different environments, eliminating the guesswork previously required to extend thermal testing data to production boards.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical connection structures allow the thermal management device to adapt to different mounting configurations (test sockets versus direct production board mounting) while maintaining consistent thermal contact parameters. This enables thermal data to be reliably transferred and correlated between testing and production environments through controlled parameter consistency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a single thermal management device is designed to work with both socketed and non-socketed configurations, then device versatility improves and separate thermal solutions are eliminated, but mechanical connection complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical connection structures are designed to be adaptable rather than fixed, allowing the heat spreader plate to be mounted in different configurations (on test sockets or directly on production boards) as needed. This dynamic adaptability enables a single device design to serve multiple mounting scenarios without requiring complex specialized mechanisms for each configuration.
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
Facilitates consistent thermal management across different mounting configurations, allowing for accurate thermal parameter correlation and efficient heat dissipation in both testing and production environments.
Implementation Method 1
a heat spreader plate that thermally contacts the integrated circuit chip
Data Source
AI summary
Various thermal management devices for providing thermal management of integrated circuit chips are disclosed. In one aspect, a thermal management device is provided that has a heat spreader plate that includes mechanical connection structures to enable the heat spreader plate to mount on a first circuit board and thermally contact the integrated circuit chip when the integrated circuit chip is directly mounted on the first circuit board and to enable the heat spreader plate to mount on a second circuit board having a socket and thermally contact the integrated circuit chip when the integrated circuit chip is mounted in the socket.