Insulating Heat Spreader for Thermal Isolation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Optoelectronic assemblies face challenges in reducing thermal resistance while maintaining electrical isolation between high-power devices and heat sinks, as existing solutions often require electrical connection for heat conduction, which can ground the device.
Innovation Solution
The use of an electrically insulating heat spreader, such as aluminum nitride, is integrated into a cavity within the substrate to conduct heat from the device to a heat sink without establishing an electrical path, allowing for independent thermal and electrical management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional heat conduction methods are used to reduce thermal resistance, then heat dissipation efficiency is improved, but electrical isolation between device and heat sink is lost
Solution Approach 1:
An electrically insulating heat spreader material (such as aluminum nitride or boron nitride) is introduced as an intermediary between the device and heat sink. This material has high thermal conductivity to conduct heat away from the device while simultaneously having high electrical resistivity to maintain electrical isolation, thus resolving the contradiction between heat dissipation efficiency and electrical isolation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structures including layers of dielectric material and conductive adhesive with specific thermal and electrical properties. These composite structures are designed to optimize both thermal conduction pathways and electrical isolation characteristics, allowing simultaneous achievement of low thermal resistance and high electrical isolation.
2Loss of energy
If thermal conduction path is established through substrate, then heat evacuation is improved, but electrical grounding of device occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The electrically insulating heat spreader acts as a mediator that decouples the thermal conduction function from electrical conduction. It provides a dedicated thermal pathway from device to heat sink while blocking electrical current, thereby enabling effective heat evacuation while maintaining the device's electrical floating state.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal management structure is segmented into distinct functional layers: the device layer, the electrically insulating heat spreader layer, and the heat sink layer. This segmentation allows independent optimization of thermal and electrical properties in each layer, enabling heat evacuation without electrical grounding.
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 effectively evacuates heat from high-power devices while keeping them electrically floating, enabling efficient heat dissipation without grounding, thus enhancing thermal management in optoelectronic assemblies.
Implementation Method 1
The heat spreader is configured to conduct heat from the device to the heat sink
Implementation Method 2
The heat spreader is configured to conduct heat from the device to the heat sink and to provide electrical insulation between the device and the heat sink
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes a main substrate, a device, and a heat spreader. The main substrate is configured for mounting the device in a mounting location thereon and having a cavity located below the mounting location. The device is mounted in the mounting location, and the heat spreader is fitted into the cavity and coupled to the device and to a heat sink. The heat spreader is configured to conduct heat from the device to the heat sink and to provide electrical insulation between the device and the heat sink.