Spring-Adjustable Heat Pipe Coupling for Uneven IC Chip Heights
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Heat dissipation in integrated circuit (IC) chips is becoming increasingly challenging due to limited mechanical space and inefficient thermal coupling, especially when different IC chips have varying heights, leading to reduced thermal performance and potential failure.
Innovation Solution
A heat sink assembly incorporating a spring-adjustable heat pipe that fills the gap between IC chips and the heat sink, providing a resilient force for tight thermal coupling without the need for excessive thermal paste, using fasteners to control the downward force and compression for enhanced heat transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a heat sink is used to dissipate heat from IC chips, then heat dissipation is improved, but the mechanical space required for the heat sink and thermal coupling becomes more challenging in hand-held or mobile devices
Solution Approach 1:
The heat pipe is nested within the profile of the IC chip package, utilizing the existing vertical space between the chip and the circuit board. The heat pipe extends downward into the package profile, effectively nesting the thermal management component within the existing device footprint without requiring additional horizontal space.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat pipe utilizes the vertical dimension (Z-axis) by extending downward from the IC chip into the package profile, rather than only utilizing the horizontal plane. This three-dimensional approach allows the heat sink to be positioned closer to the chip while maintaining effective thermal coupling, thereby reducing the overall mechanical space requirement.
2Adaptability or versatility
If different IC chips have varying heights, then adaptability to different chip configurations is improved, but gap spaces are created between the heat sink and chips, reducing thermal performance
Solution Approach 1:
The heat pipe incorporates a resilient portion with spring-like characteristics that can dynamically adjust to different chip heights. The resilient portion compresses or expands based on the actual gap distance between the chip and heat sink, providing adaptive thermal coupling for chips of varying heights without requiring multiple fixed-height heat sink designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat pipe's resilient portion changes its physical state or compression level based on the gap distance parameter. By varying the compression of the resilient portion, the heat pipe maintains optimal thermal contact pressure across different chip heights, effectively compensating for height variations while maintaining consistent thermal performance.
3Loss of energy
If excessive thermal paste is used to fill gap spaces, then thermal coupling is improved, but manufacturing complexity and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient portion of the heat pipe serves as an intermediary mechanical element between the heat sink and the IC chip. Instead of using excessive thermal paste to bridge gaps, the resilient portion physically adapts to the gap distance and provides both mechanical support and thermal conduction, eliminating the need for thick layers of thermal paste and simplifying the manufacturing process.
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 ensures efficient heat dissipation by maintaining tight thermal coupling between IC chips and the heat sink, reducing the reliance on precise manufacturing tolerances and enhancing thermal performance across varying chip heights.
Implementation Method 1
a spring-adjustable heat pipe that is a heat pipe shaped to form a spring... The spring effect of the spring-adjustable heat pipe is configured to provide an upward resilient force in the second, vertical direction towards the heat sink
Implementation Method 2
A heat pipe is a metal pipe that includes an internal chamber with liquid configured to absorb heat causing the liquid to evaporate into vapor, which is then released for efficient heat transfer to the heat sink before condensing back into a liquid
Data Source
AI summary
Heat sink assembly with spring-adjustable heat pipe for improved heat dissipation, and related circuit board assemblies and methods of assembling. The heat sink assembly can be thermally coupled to an electronic device, such as a printed circuit board (PCB) and/or an IC chip(s) mounted on a circuit board to dissipate heat generated from electronic devices. The heat sink assembly includes a heat sink with a spring-adjustable heat pipe between a first electronic device and a heat sink to fill in gap space therebetween and to thermally couple the heat sink to the first electronic device. The spring effect of the spring-adjustable heat pipe provides upward resilient force towards the heat sink when the heat sink is in contact with and applies a downward force onto the spring-adjustable heat pipe to provide a compressed, tight coupling between the heat sink and the spring-adjustable heat pipe for enhanced good thermal coupling.