COOLING ASSEMBLY USING HEATSPREADER

• US 20150084182A1
• Filed: 09/26/2013
• Published: 03/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Acatel Lucent Canada Incorporated
• Inventors: DE CECCO, STEFANO F., CHESHIRE, GREGORY W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,318,410 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/720
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/36 Selection of materials, or shaping, to facilitate cooling or heating, e.g. heatsinks H01L23/28, H01L23/40, H01L23/42, H01L23/44, H01L23/46 take precedence; heating H01L23/345
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/4093 Snap-on arrangements, e.g. clips
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/42 Fillings or auxiliary members in containers or encapsulations selected or arranged to facilitate heating or cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

Various embodiments relate to a microchip die cooling assembly comprising a circuit board; a microchip having an exposed die attached to the circuit board; a heatspreader having a top side and a bottom side; a heat sink having a bottom side and a top side comprising a cooling structure; a first thermal interface material in contact with the exposed die and the bottom side of the heatspreader; and a second thermal interface material in contact with the top side of the heat spreader and the bottom side of the heat sink.

Claims

1. A microchip die cooling assembly comprising:

a circuit board;

a microchip having an exposed die attached to the circuit board;

a heatspreader having a top side and a bottom side, the bottom side being positioned above the microchip;

a heat sink having a bottom side and a top side comprising a cooling structure;

a first thermal interface material in contact with the exposed die and the bottom side of the heatspreader;

a second thermal interface material in contact with the top side of the heat spreader and the bottomside of the heat sink;

a pin securing the heatspreader to the circuit board; and

a spring connected to the pin to bias the heatspreader against the chip die.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the assembly further comprises:

dual pins having barbs securing the heatspreader to the circuit board; and

a spring attached to each respective pin that biases the heatspreader against the chip die.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the heat sink is made of copper, zinc, aluminum, or a zamak alloy.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the heat sink forms an outer wall of an enclosure which holds the circuit board.

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the heatspreader is made of copper or aluminum.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first thermal interface material is thermal grease or a phase change material.

7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the second thermal interface material is a gap pad or thermal gel.

8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the assembly is a passive cooling system.

9. A method of assembling a die cooling device, comprising the steps of:

attaching a chip having an exposed die to a circuit board;

applying a first thermal interface material to the die;

attaching a heatspreader to the die via the first thermal interface material;

applying a second thermal interface material to the heatspreader; and

attaching a heat sink to the heatspreader via the second thermal interface material.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

securing the heatspreader to the circuit board using two pins and two springs, wherein the springs provide a force to bias the heatspreader against the chip die.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the heat sink is made of copper, zinc, aluminum, or a zamak alloy.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the heat sink forms an outer wall of an enclosure which completely holds the circuit board.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the heatspreader is made of copper or aluminum.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the first thermal interface material is thermal grease or a phase change material.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the second thermal interface material is a gap pad or thermal gel.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the assembly is a passive cooling system.

17. A heatspreader for use in an assembly for cooling a microchip with an exposed chip die, comprising:

a body that formed from a thermally conductive material;

a planar bottom surface having an area significantly greater than the area of the exposed chip die for thermally connecting to the exposed chip die;

a planar top surface having an area equal to the area of the planar bottom surface; and

two mounting features disposed in opposition in a plane parallel to the bottom surface for mounting the heatspreader in a resiliently biased thermal connection with the exposed chip die, wherein the resilient biased thermal connection includes a pin and spring to bias the heatspreader.

18. The heatspreader of claim 17, wherein the thermally conductive material is one of copper or aluminum.