Sandwich Power Supply Module for High-Density Thermal and Transient Limits
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-power density and high-efficiency power converters are needed to meet the increasing current demands of modern GPUs and CPUs while addressing the challenge of heat conduction and board space constraints.
Innovation Solution
A sandwich structure power supply module with an inductor pack, top substrate, power IC dies, and a support structure, incorporating embedded passive components and capacitors to enhance power efficiency and transient response.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If high current is used to achieve better processor performance, then power density increases, but heat conduction becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from planar PCB mounting to three-dimensional stacked architecture, placing inductors above the PCB and routing traces through vertical vias. This dimensional change reduces current path length and improves heat dissipation by distributing thermal load across multiple layers and surfaces, directly addressing the heat conduction challenge of high-power density designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The power delivery network is segmented into multiple independent phases, with each phase having its own inductor and trace routing. This segmentation distributes the total current load across multiple parallel paths, reducing the thermal concentration in any single region while maintaining high overall power density.
2Reliability
If more passive components are added to improve transient response, then power efficiency improves, but board space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves passive components from the two-dimensional PCB surface to the three-dimensional space above the board. Inductors are mounted vertically with their magnetic cores extending upward, and traces are routed through vertical vias rather than horizontal surface traces. This eliminates the need for large board area while maintaining all necessary transient response components.
Solution Approach 2:
The design nests multiple functional elements within a compact vertical structure. The inductor windings are nested around the magnetic core, traces are nested within PCB layers and vias, and the entire power module is nested within a small footprint on the motherboard, achieving high component density without increasing board space.
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 solution provides improved power efficiency and transient response, reducing the module's profile and board space requirements, enhancing power density and performance.
Implementation Method 1
The inductor pack has a magnetic core, a first winding and a second winding, wherein the first winding and the second winding pass through the magnetic core
Data Source
AI summary
A power supply module comprises an inductor pack, a top substrate disposed above the inductor pack, a first power IC die and a second power IC die disposed above the inductor pack, and a support structure disposed below the inductor pack. The inductor pack has a magnetic core, and a first winding and a second winding which pass through the magnetic core. The top substrate has a bottom surface attached to the inductor pack. The first power IC die is electrically connected to the first winding, and the second power IC die is electrically connected to the second winding. The support structure electrically connects the power supply module to an external circuit. A cavity is formed below the inductor pack for accommodating passive components, and the cavity is at least partially surrounded by the support structure.