Multilayer Ceramic Back Plate Stiffness
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-performance data center computing systems face challenges in thermal management due to increasing loading forces from semiconductor chip packages, which can cause the bolster plate and back plate to bend or warp, and existing solutions struggle to accommodate the required stiffness and cost constraints.
Innovation Solution
A multilayer back plate approach using materials with a higher Young's modulus than steel, such as ceramics, combined with additional layers of softer materials to achieve the desired stiffness while optimizing cost, and molding techniques to form depressions or holes that preserve structural integrity and avoid machining-induced defects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the thickness of the steel back plate is increased to achieve the desired stiffness, then the stiffness is improved, but the thickness becomes too large to accommodate future cooling assembly implementations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining a ceramic layer (with higher Young's modulus than steel) with a metal layer to create a multilayer back plate. This composite structure achieves the desired stiffness while maintaining a reduced thickness compared to traditional steel plates, resolving the contradiction between stiffness and thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter (Young's modulus) by selecting ceramic materials with higher stiffness than steel. This parameter change allows the back plate to achieve the required stiffness at a thinner profile, addressing the contradiction between strength and length.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional machining techniques are used to form holes in the ceramic layer, then holes can be created, but structural defects are introduced that weaken the ceramic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by forming the holes and depressions in the ceramic layer during the molding process itself, before the ceramic is sintered. This preliminary formation of features avoids the need for subsequent machining operations that would introduce structural defects and weaken the ceramic material.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical machining process with a molding process to form holes in the ceramic layer. This substitution eliminates the mechanical stress and potential cracking associated with machining brittle ceramic materials, preserving structural integrity while achieving the desired manufacturing outcome.
3Strength
If a single thick steel plate is used, then manufacturing is simple, but the stiffness is insufficient to handle higher loading forces from future semiconductor chip packages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials (ceramic and metal layers) to achieve higher stiffness than a single thick steel plate. While the material composition becomes more complex, the layered structure is designed to be manufacturable through established processes, balancing the need for increased stiffness with acceptable manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single-dimensional (thick plate) solution to a multilayered structure, utilizing the vertical dimension to stack different materials with complementary properties. This dimensional approach allows the back plate to achieve superior stiffness characteristics while maintaining a compact overall thickness.
Data Source
AI summary
A molded ceramic layer of a multilayer cooling assembly back plate is described. The molded ceramic layer has an opening on a side of the molded ceramic layer that is to face a back side of a circuit board. The opening is aligned with a location of a back side component on the back side of the circuit board.