Surface-Mount Monolithic Filter Heat Dissipation for High Power
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Solution Overview
Problem
The miniaturization of electric filters reduces their power handling capacity, making it challenging to create compact filters that can operate at elevated power levels without overheating.
Innovation Solution
A filter assembly with a monolithic filter coupled to a heat sink featuring a layer of thermally conductive material, which enhances heat dissipation and power handling capabilities while providing electrical shielding, allowing the filter to maintain performance across a wide range of temperatures and frequencies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the filter is miniaturized to reduce size, then the compactness is improved, but the power handling capacity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a vertical heat dissipation dimension by attaching a heat sink to the bottom surface of the filter substrate. This allows heat to be conducted downward through the substrate thickness direction, providing an additional thermal management pathway that does not increase the filter's planar footprint, thus maintaining compactness while improving power handling capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a thermally conductive material layer as an intermediary between the filter circuit and the heat sink. This intermediate layer improves thermal coupling and heat transfer efficiency from the filter substrate to the heat sink, enabling better power handling without increasing the overall filter volume.
2Power
If the filter operates at elevated power levels, then the power handling is improved, but the temperature increases causing performance degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts heat from the filter system by providing a dedicated heat sink structure that is thermally coupled to the filter substrate. This heat sink acts as a separate thermal management component that actively removes excess heat generated during high-power operation, preventing temperature buildup and maintaining filter performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter substrate itself serves a dual function: it provides mechanical support for the filter circuit and acts as a thermal conduction path to transfer heat from the circuit to the heat sink. This self-service approach integrates thermal management into the existing structure without requiring additional active cooling components.
3Power
If a heat sink is added to improve heat dissipation, then the power handling is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the heat sink function with the filter substrate by directly coupling the heat sink to the bottom surface of the substrate. This integration approach combines two separate functions (filtering and heat dissipation) into a unified structure, reducing overall device complexity compared to using separate mounted components.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter substrate serves multiple functions: it provides mechanical support for the filter circuit, acts as an electrical insulator, and serves as a thermal conduction path to the heat sink. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional components and simplifies the overall device structure while maintaining improved power handling capability.
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
The filter assembly achieves improved heat dissipation, increased power handling, and consistent performance characteristics, including low insertion loss and rejection of frequencies outside the passband, even at elevated temperatures and high power levels, without significant degradation in electrical characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
The heat sink may include a layer of thermally conductive material that has a thickness that is greater than about 0.02 mm
Data Source
AI summary
A filter assembly is disclosed that includes a monolithic filter having a surface and a heat sink coupled to the surface of the monolithic filter. The heat sink includes a layer of thermally conductive material that can have a thickness greater than about 0.02 mm. The heat sink may provide electrical shielding for the monolithic filter. In some embodiments, the filter assembly may include an organic dielectric material, such as liquid crystalline polymer or polyphenyl ether. In some embodiments, the filter assembly may include an additional monolithic filter.