PCB Thermal Interface Material Injection via Side Inlet
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic devices face challenges in effectively injecting liquid thermal interface materials (TIM) due to misalignment between the injected direction and the moving direction of the liquid TIM, leading to reduced heat conductivity and difficulties in removing hardened TIM, which complicates component maintenance and replacement.
Innovation Solution
The electronic device incorporates a PCB structure with a base plate, interposer, cover plate, and a heat conduction plate, featuring an accommodation part with a pocket that allows for parallel injection of the liquid TIM, enhancing injectability and facilitating easy maintenance and replacement of components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If liquid TIM is injected through an inlet formed in the component accommodation surface, then the TIM can be injected into the electronic device, but the injected direction and moving direction of the liquid TIM become perpendicular reducing injection effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet is repositioned from the component accommodation surface to the side surface of the electronic device. This dimensional change in inlet placement allows the liquid TIM to flow in the same direction as injection, converting the perpendicular injection problem into an aligned flow configuration that significantly improves injection efficiency
2Productivity
If a more fluid liquid TIM is used for more effective injection, then injectability improves, but heat conductivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By changing the inlet position to the side surface, the injection process becomes more efficient, allowing the use of more fluid TIM formulations. The improved injection geometry enables better control over the injection process, making it feasible to use lower viscosity TIMs that offer better heat conductivity while maintaining effective injection capability
3Reliability
If liquid TIM is directly injected inside the electronic device and hardened, then heat conduction is achieved, but the hardened TIM cannot be practically removed for component maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic device is divided into separable modules: the base board with inlet, the cover plate, and the heat conduction plate. This segmentation allows the cover plate and heat conduction plate to be removed as separate units, enabling access to and removal of hardened TIM without damaging components, thus maintaining both heat conduction performance and serviceability
Solution Approach 2:
The inlet structure is extracted and positioned on the side surface, creating a dedicated access point that facilitates the removal of hardened TIM. This extraction of the injection/access function from the component surface allows maintenance operations without compromising the integrity of accommodated components
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 improves the injectability of TIM, maintains high heat conductivity, and simplifies the maintenance and replacement of components by allowing for easy removal of the hardened TIM.
Implementation Method 1
The heat conduction plate on the cover plate and facing the first component and the second component, an accommodation part including an accommodation body and an accommodation head extending from the accommodation body and included inside the inlet, in which the accommodation body is between the base plate and the heat conduction plate
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device includes a printed circuit board (“PCB”) structure which accommodates a thermal interface material (“TIM”). The PCB structure includes a base plate, a first component on the base plate, a second component on the base plate and apart from the first component, an interposer connected to the base plate and surrounding the first component and the second component, a cover plate connected to the interposer and covering the first component and the second component, and an accommodation part which is between the base plate and a heat conduction plate and accommodates the TIM.