PCB Phase-Change Material Integration for Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing printed circuit boards and IC-substrates face inefficiencies in heat dissipation due to PCM materials being externally attached or embedded in recesses, leading to reduced thermal contact with heat-releasing components and increased thermal resistance, which limits their heat dissipation capacity and ability to maintain constant temperatures during peak loads.
Innovation Solution
A component carrier with integrated phase-change material within cavities, directly thermoconductively coupled to heat-passage components via thermal vias or heat pipes, ensuring direct thermal contact and enhanced heat transfer, while avoiding air pockets and improving design flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If PCM material is externally attached or embedded in recesses of PCB, then heat dissipation capacity is improved, but thermal contact with heat-releasing components deteriorates and thermal resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the PCM material integration with the PCB lamination process itself, rather than treating them as separate steps. The PCM-containing prepreg layers are laminated directly onto the PCB during the standard manufacturing process, ensuring intimate thermal contact between the PCM and heat-releasing components while eliminating the need for separate attachment or recess-filling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The PCM material is pre-integrated into the PCB structure during the lamination process before final assembly. By incorporating the PCM-containing layers into the PCB stack-up during manufacturing, the thermal contact pathway is established in advance, ensuring optimal thermal coupling between the PCM and heat-generating components from the outset.
2Loss of energy
If PCM material is arranged outside PCB in gap between PCB and external heat sink, then heat dissipation is enhanced, but integration within PCB structure is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the PCM material integration with the PCB lamination process itself, rather than treating them as separate steps. The PCM-containing prepreg layers are laminated directly onto the PCB during the standard manufacturing process, ensuring intimate thermal contact between the PCM and heat-releasing components while eliminating the need for separate attachment or recess-filling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent embeds the PCM material within the multi-layer PCB structure itself, nesting the heat storage function inside the PCB stack-up. The PCM-containing layers are positioned between inner layers of the PCB, creating an integrated thermally managed PCB where the heat storage capability is nested within the structural layers.
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 solution enhances heat dissipation capacity, maintains constant temperatures for heat-sensitive components, and allows for efficient energy harvesting, effectively addressing the limitations of external PCM attachments and recess-based integrations by ensuring direct thermal contact and improved thermal conductivity.
Implementation Method 1
A phase-change material (short: PCM) is a substance with a high heat of fusion that for example melts and solidifies at a certain temperature and is capable of storing and releasing relatively large amounts of energy. Heat is absorbed or released when the material changes from solid to liquid and vice versa.
Implementation Method 2
Thus, phase-change materials are latent heat storage (short: LHS) units. During phase changes the temperature of the PCM's thermodynamic system remains constant.
Implementation Method 3
the phase-change material is arranged within at least one cavity and integrated within a laminated build-up of the component carrier and is directly thermoconductively coupled with the at least one heat-passage component by means of at least one thermal via, plated through-hole and/or heat pipe
Implementation Method 4
the phase-change material is arranged within at least one cavity and integrated within a laminated build-up of the component carrier and is directly thermoconductively coupled with the at least one heat-passage component by means of at least one thermal via, plated through-hole and/or heat pipe
Data Source
Figure 1~2C
Figure 3~5
Figure 6~7
AI summary
The invention refers to a component carrier (10) realized as a printed circuit board, an intermediate printed circuit board product or an IC-substrate, comprising at least one heat- passage component (30), said at least one heat-passage component (30) being realized in form of a heat-generating or a heat-absorbing component that is mounted on an outside surface layer (21, 22) or is embedded within at least one inner layer (23, 24) of the component carrier (10), and further comprising at least one latent-heat storage unit (40) with a phase-change material (45). The phase-change material (45) is laminated and integrated within at least one cavity (25) of the component carrier (10) and is directly thermoconductively coupled with the at least one heat-passage component (30). The invention also refers to a method for producing said component carrier (10).