Surface Mount Heat Sink for SSD Thermal Management

Solution Overview

Problem

The increasing density and performance of solid state disk (SSD) drives lead to significant heat generation, making traditional heat extraction methods, such as using heat sinks, inefficient and costly, especially due to manual assembly and limited selectivity in heat dissipation, resulting in 'hot spots' and mechanical stress on components.

Innovation Solution

The use of surface mount heat sinks with extruded shapes, formed using an extrusion mechanism, are mounted next to electrical devices on a substrate, allowing for efficient heat transfer through predefined footprints and thermal pads, reducing mechanical stress and enabling automated assembly, thereby improving heat extraction and structural integrity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional heat sink attachment methods are used, then heat extraction can be achieved, but the manufacturing process becomes time-consuming and costly due to manual assembly requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat extraction reliabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The heat sink is divided into multiple individual surface mount components that can be independently placed on the substrate using automated SMT processes, eliminating the need for manual assembly while maintaining effective heat extraction from high-power devices

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The traditional mechanical attachment method (screws, clips, or manual bonding) is replaced by standardized surface mount technology with predefined footprints and thermal pads, allowing automated pick-and-place machines to mount the heat sinks precisely without manual intervention

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Reliability

If traditional heat sink attachment methods are used, then heat extraction can be achieved, but manufacturing costs increase due to manual assembly requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat extraction reliabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The heat sink is divided into multiple individual surface mount components that can be independently placed on the substrate using automated SMT processes, eliminating the need for manual assembly while maintaining effective heat extraction from high-power devices

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The traditional mechanical attachment method (screws, clips, or manual bonding) is replaced by standardized surface mount technology with predefined footprints and thermal pads, allowing automated pick-and-place machines to mount the heat sinks precisely without manual intervention

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Temperature

If heat sinks are mounted in densely packed electronic systems, then heat extraction is needed, but the available space for traditional heat sink attachment becomes limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat dissipation capabilityVSAvoidavailable mounting space

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The heat sink mounting approach transitions from large-area traditional attachments to compact surface mount components with standardized footprints, utilizing vertical space and substrate area more efficiently in densely packed electronic systems

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

Heat extraction is optimized locally at each high-power device location using individually mounted surface mount heat sinks with thermal pads positioned precisely where heat is generated, rather than requiring large continuous heat sink areas

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

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 extraction efficiency, reduces manual labor costs, and improves the structural integrity of electronic systems by allowing precise heat dissipation and automated assembly, addressing the challenges of heat management in densely packed SSD drives.

Implementation Method 1

mounting a surface mount heat sink next to the electrical device... allowing for efficient heat transfer

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentUS9313874B2Electronic system with heat extraction and method of manufacture thereof

Publication Date: 2016.04.12 SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES LLC

AI summary

An electronic system, and a method of manufacture thereof, including: a substrate; an electrical device over the substrate; and a surface mount heat sink next to the electrical device, the surface mount heat sink having an extruded shape characteristic of being formed using an extrusion mechanism.