HEAT SINK WITH AIR PATHWAYS THROUGH THE BASE

• US 20150153113A1
• Filed: 12/03/2013
• Published: 06/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) Pte., Ltd. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Glover, Troy W., Megarity, William M., Scott, Whitcomb R. III, Purdy, Michael S.
• Application Number:
  US14/094,843
• Publication Number:
  US 20150153113A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 3/048 in the form of ribs integral with the element or local variations in thickness of the element, e.g. grooves, microchannels
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/467 by flowing gases, e.g. air H01L23/473 takes precedence
• 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

A heat sink includes a heat sink base having a central area for contacting a heat-generating component and a perimeter area extending beyond the central area, wherein the perimeter area of the heat sink base includes air pathways through the heat sink base and the central area does not. The heat sink further includes heat sink fins extending from the heat sink base across the central area and the perimeter area. Airflow across the heat sink removes heat from the heat-generating component, such as a processor. The central area may be secured in contact with a surface of a processor operably secured to a circuit board. The heat sink is particularly beneficial in circuit board configurations having a component immediately upstream or downstream of the processor.

Claims

1. A heat sink, comprising:

a heat sink base securable to a heat generating component, wherein the heat sink base has a central area for contacting the heat generating component and a perimeter area extending beyond the central area, wherein the perimeter area of the heat sink base includes air pathways through the heat sink base, and wherein the central area of the heat sink base does not include air pathways through the heat sink base; and

heat sink fins extending from the heat sink base across the central area and the perimeter area.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the air pathways are slots that are elongate in a direction parallel to the heat sink fins.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the air pathways through the heat sink base are limited to areas between the heat sink fins.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the air pathways through the heat sink base are uniformly sized and spaced.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heat sink is an extruded heat sink.

6. An apparatus, comprising:

a circuit board operably securing a processor;

a heat sink including a heat sink base and a plurality of heat sink fins extending from the heat sink base, wherein the heat sink base has a central area in contact with an surface of the processor and a perimeter area laterally extending beyond the surface of the processor, wherein the perimeter area of the heat sink base includes air pathways through the heat sink base, and wherein the central area of the heat sink base does not include air pathways through the heat sink base.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the air pathways are slots that are elongate in a direction parallel to the heat sink fins.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the air pathways through the heat sink base are limited to areas between the heat sink fins.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the air pathways through the heat sink base are uniformly sized and spaced

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the heat sink is an extruded heat sink.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is a bare die.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a chassis receiving the circuit board;

an air mover causing air to flow through the chassis in an airflow direction; and

a component operably secured to the circuit board adjacent the processor along an upstream side of the processor preventing airflow from passing underneath an upstream end of the heat sink base, wherein airflow entering between the heat sink fins can pass through the air pathways to the underneath side of the heat sink base.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the perimeter area of the heat sink base has airflow pathways only on the downstream and lateral sides relative to the processor.

14. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a chassis receiving the circuit board;

an air mover causing air to flow through the chassis in an airflow direction; and

a component operably secured to the circuit board adjacent the processor along a downstream side of the processor preventing airflow underneath the heat sink base from exiting along the downstream end of the heat sink base, wherein airflow underneath the heat sink base can pass through the air pathways to the top side of the heat sink base.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the perimeter area of the heat sink base has airflow pathways only on the upstream and lateral sides relative to the processor.