Water Cooled Server Modules With Flip-Chip Substrates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current water-cooled servers face challenges in achieving high power density and manufacturability due to the space occupied by packaged devices and heat sinks, and the need for efficient cooling solutions that can handle high-power chips.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a substrate with redistribution layers and flip-chip mounted electronic components, sealed in a copper enclosure that is partially immersed in water, with a thermal interface material and redundant components for efficient cooling and fault tolerance, allowing for agile reconfiguration and lifecycle support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If packaged devices with heat sinks are used, then heat dissipation is improved, but device volume and space occupation increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the heat dissipation function from traditional packaged devices with heat sinks and relocates it to a separate water cooling system. The chips are mounted directly on the substrate without integrated heat sinks, and heat is removed externally through water-cooled plates that contact the substrate surfaces, thereby reducing device volume while maintaining effective heat dissipation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the substrate with the cooling system by directly contacting water-cooled plates to the substrate surfaces. This integration eliminates the need for separate heat sink components and combines the mounting function with the heat dissipation function in a more space-efficient manner.
2Power
If high-power chips are used, then processing power is improved, but heat generation and cooling requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs a water-based hydraulic cooling system to manage heat from high-power chips. Water is circulated through channels in the water-cooled plates that contact the substrate, providing efficient heat removal that enables high-power processing without excessive temperature rise.
3Device complexity
If conventional cooling solutions are used, then simplicity is maintained, but power density and cooling efficiency are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from traditional air cooling to liquid water cooling, representing a dimensional change in the cooling medium. This enables significantly higher power density and cooling efficiency while maintaining relatively simple system architecture through direct water contact with the substrate surfaces.
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 configuration achieves a high power density of 500-1500 watts per cubic inch and efficient cooling, enabling compact and reliable operation with reduced thermal resistance and increased reliability compared to conventional systems.
Implementation Method 1
Copper sheets are bonded to the polished planar surfaces on each side of the substrate using a thermal interface material (TIM)
Implementation Method 2
computer modules that are operable when partially immersed in a tank of water
Implementation Method 3
Copper sheets are bonded to the polished planar surfaces on each side of the substrate using a thermal interface material (TIM)
Data Source
AI summary
A computer module includes a substrate having redistribution layers comprising conductors and dielectrics formed on both sides of the substrate. Selected thin film conductors have a half pitch of 2 μm or less. Semiconductor components selected from bare die, chiplets, stacked devices, and low-profile packaged devices are flip chip mounted on the substrate. After grinding and polishing operations, a polished planar surface extends across each side of the substrate, coincident with the back side of the semiconductor components. Copper sheets are bonded to the polished planar surfaces using die attach films. A water-cooled server comprises multiple computer modules disposed in a tank with cooling water circulating around the modules. It dissipates 6.3 MW at a water flow rate of 339 gallons per minute and has a power density of 1 kW/in3.